The Constitution gives the Congress the power to declare war and names the President as the Commander in Chief. But Truman intervened in Korea and Johnson went to war in Vietnam without even consulting Congress. In 1973, the War Powers Resolution was passed to require such consultation, but everybody agrees it has not been effective. Now, the National War Powers Commission, chaired by former Secretaries of State James Baker (R) and Warren Christopher (D), says there's a better way. They want a law requiring consultation for "significant armed conflict," creating a new, joint committee with permanent staff and time lines for up-or-down votes on whether to go to war.
