PRESS RELEASE
Congressmen Release Open Letter
to President Obama: Congress Alone
Must Decide on Questions of War
Dec. 19, 2012 (EIRNS)—This release was issued today by the Lyndon LaRouche Political Action Committee.
At a well-attended press conference on Capitol Hill today, Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.) and Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) presented an open letter to President Obama, urging him not to lead the nation to war, but to abide by his Constitutional obligations.
Reps. Jones and Rangel were joined by retired military official Col. Patrick Lang and Lt. Col. Anthony Schafer, who supported their point of view, as well as Jeffrey Steinberg of Executive Intelligence Review magazine.
The full letter, which Congressman Jones read to the press, was sent on Dec. 18, and reads as follows:
Dear President Obama:
We are writing to strongly urge you not to once again lead our nation into war without authorization from Congress. Your recent threat of "consequences" should Syria use chemical weapons is eerily reminiscent of the calls for war with Iraq to deal with their "Weapons of Mass Destruction." We would like to remind you that the power to declare war remains vested in the Congress. No resolution from the United Nations or NATO can supersede the power carefully entrusted with the representatives of the American people.
If your administration believes committing Aemrican troops to Syria is essential, the case must be presented to Congress. Outside of an actual or imminent attack on America, the only precursor to war can be the authorization of Congress. We call on you to abide by our Constitution, and rely on our country's representatives to decide when war is necessary. There is no greater responsibility than to send our sons and daughters to war. That responsibility remains with the United States Congress.
Sincerely,
Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.)
Ron Paul (R-Tex.)
Mo Brooks (R-Ala.)
Michael H. Michaud (D-Me.)
Justin Amash (R-Mich.)
Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.)
A full video of the presentations by all the participants, and their answers to questions can be found on www.larouchepac.com.
