Army Powers Vested in the U.S. Congress

Speaking of history, I'd like to remind the crackerjack tinhorn Napoleons passing themselves off as conservatives these days that the Continental Congress raised the army that defeated George III, the Continental Congress hired the general who won the war, and THAT man — one George Washington by name — demurred to the Continental Congress and the American people by declining the laurels of dictatorship and retiring to Virginia, like a new Cincinnatus, thereby enobling himself to posterity forever.

In deference to these powerful precedents, the Founding Fathers vested in the United States Congress the self-same powers to raise an army, raise taxes, and most importantly TO WAGE WAR, giving only George Washington's modest styling Commander in Chief, to the U. S. President, subject to Congressional oversight.

Furthermore, the Founding Fathers recognized the dangers of an unfettered rogue mutinous dog President — the awful spectacle of Oliver Cromwell then being in their eyes, confirmed somewhat later by the even worse excesses of Napolean Bonaparte — by giving to the U. S. Congress the authority to impeach and remove from office the Self-Anointed Chief Deciders grasping authority run amok.

So, yes! The Congress has a great deal of Constitutional authority vested in itself, vastly more than simple powers of oversight. And if George W. Bush doesn't come soon to heel, the scholars of arcane Constitutional law will soon begin appearing from the woodwork, as they did in the weeks before Nixon resigned.