THE CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORIZATION OF WAR WITH IRAQ
On October 16, 2002, Congress formally enacted the Resolution to Authorize the use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq - in everyday language, the Iraq war vote (2002). As expressed by its title and wording, the resolution provided the Bush Administration with blanket authority to go to war against Iraq at its own discretion. The essay that follows will examine three essential questions about the objectives of this resolution. These questions concern not the Administration's underlying decision to go to war, but its decision to seek this form of Congressional authorization to do so. These question are first, what was the policy objective in specifically seeking this resolution, what political tools did the Administration wield to achieve that goal, and did the policy of seeking the resolution meet its objectives?
In a nutshell, the Congressional resolution was designed to strengthen public support for the broader policy of war against Iraq, and to lay groundwork for diplomatic support. In securing passage of the resolution, the Administration employed both policy and political instruments for garnering support. It succeed in its objectives, but -- as we shall see -- with significant later side effects.
I. Why a Resolution Vote? Administration Objectives:
The Constitution reserves to Congress the authority to declare war. However, the United States has fought numerous wars that were not formally declared. Indeed, in modern times this constitutional provision has been nearly in abeyance. Since the last time a state of war was formally declared, in 1941, the United States has fought four major ground wars and numerous other military actions. Nevertheless, a Congressional resolution was desired, sought, and in due course obtained.
The internal deliberations of the Bush Administration are not known from publicly available primary sources. However, t...