James: Yes, the President can order a military strike without Congress, and such a thing has been done in the past. But it’s not altogether constitutionally kosher, and I actually agree with Reid on the principle that the responsibility to declare war and the responsibility to prosecute war ought to be split between branches. I don’t mean to advocate an open-ended authorization of force against Iran as a purely symbolic gesture for foreign consumption. Yes, I think it would be prudent to give the President a legislative green light in part to send a message that we’re serious, but also to reinforce an important constitutional principle if we do end up bombing Iran.
