Recognizing that the old one never worked, a commission has proposed a revision of the 1973 War Powers Resolution. I thought the old version was stupid. Stephen F. Knott, who knows a heck of a lot about a heck of a lot, thinks that the new version is equally bad. Let’s hope that a Democratic Congress resists the temptation to "improve upon" the handiwork of its 1970s successor.
The late 00s are looking more like the late 70s all the time.
I know your post was on the war powers resolution, but I was struck by the comparison of the late 1970's and the later 2000's. That can be developed further. The Bush-malaise surely exceeds the Carter-malaise. If you think of it, the Iraq war is sort of like one big self-imposed hostage crisis (in terms of its 'psychic' impact). Add the economic misery, and you are looking at an enormous sea-change in November. Included in that sea-change will be a mood to weaken the imperial presidency, re-regulating it just as the banking and transportation industries will be re-regulated.
See I see the late 2000s as the early 70s.
The Democrats are running things from a script they developed back in 1969-1973. But this time they think they can only play the first half and not the second half that included Carter. Or more accurately, they can do Carter right this time.
The players (in the Dems' minds aren't hard to spot)
Bush = Nixon
Iraq = Vietnam
Obama = new Carter, better Carter
I think they have succeeded in making the connections well known. I just think their analogies are wrong.
I especially think Obama is running for Carter's second term.
Boris -
Shouldn't it be
Carter = Bush?
After all, he is presiding over our current malaise. Would that mean that Obama would be the next Reagan?
OK, calm down everyone. I thought it would be fun just to get you all riled up.
Rather GW equals LBJ.
Observe some of the parallels:
A dollar not just devalued, but plunging in value;
Economic power of the leader of the Western world increasingly frittered away by reckless and irresponsible social spending, in short a runaway budget;
A vast chasm between the utterances of the President and his actual deeds;
A credibility gap;
A war entered with widespread support, but directly as a result of strategic confusion coupled with grotesque incompetence, American society starts tearing itself apart;
And of course the ridiculous Texan mannerisms that characterizd both men.
Nor do we need to mention the fact that both men left their party uniquely vulnerible politically.
Carter was amd is a dope, to be sure. But even Carter never let the Iranian ruling "religious" council get so close to getting their hands on instruments of supreme slaughter and devastation. THAT will prove to be THE DEFINING issue of this failed and thus tragic Presidency.