Democrats eagerly went on the record against launching an attack on Iran without congressional authorization in 2007. Rep. Peter DeFazio had 59 cosponsors on H.Con.Res. 33, a sense of the Congress resolution which stated “the President should not initiate military action against Iran without first obtaining authorization from Congress.”
The resolution reads in part:
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress–
(1) strongly believes initiating military action
against Iran without congressional approval does not fall within the
President’s `Commander-in-Chief’ powers under the Constitution;
(2) rejects any suggestion that Public Law 107-40, the
authorization of force resolution approved in response to the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001, explicitly or implicitly, extends to
authorizing military action against Iran, including over its nuclear
program;
(3) rejects any suggestion that Public Law 107-243, the
authorization of force resolution approved by Congress to go to war
with Iraq, explicitly or implicitly, extends to authorizing military
action against Iran, including over its nuclear program; and
(4) strongly and unequivocally believes that seeking
congressional authority prior to taking military action against Iran is
not discretionary, but is a legal and constitutional requirement.
The full list of cosponsors is found here. A few of those listed–like Bob Filner and Barney Frank–are no longer in office, but the majority still are.
While Res. 33 had one sponsor and 59 cosponsors, as of yesterday just 18 Democrats had signed a letter to President Obama asking him to get congressional authorization before attacking Syria.
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