Congress is responsible for declaring war. That was the intent of our founders and remains the proper way in which America’s military is to be deployed. But Congress has abdicated. They’ve put the responsibility on the Executive branch while having no real input on how we are to dispense with threats abroad.

Congressman Chip Roy wants this to change. It’s time for the United States Congress to have a clear plan and make choices about who our military is to fight. Today, we’re still living under the auspices of an 18-year-old decree which was necessary when it was enacted. However, we are no longer searching for Osama bin Laden. The threats from the Middle East are still relevant, but no longer require the immediate and unfettered action of a single person in the White House to determine how to address it.

In other words, it’s time for Congress to take responsibility for war again. If we’re going to send our men and women into battle, we need to do so with a clear direction and a strategy to achieve a predesignated victory. This is what Roy was essentially saying in his op-ed for The Hill:

As we move forward militarily, we must be pragmatic and focused on victory, not occupation or obscure goals that can never be achieved. When our men and women fight, it must be for a reason that goes beyond presence. We need a plan.

We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.

The opportunity to unite the world behind complete and unambiguous condemnation of Iran is upon us. Whether it was Houthi drones, Iraqi militia, or Iranian cruise missiles that hit huge Saudi crude oil processing plant through which 6% of the world’s oil passes, all fingers point back to Tehran for orchestrating or directly carrying out the attack. Seeking confirmation is a formality. Everyone with common sense and a snippet of knowledge of the attack must come to the same conclusion.

This is a prime opportunity for the United Nations to demonstrate why they exist. This wasn’t an attack on Saudi Arabia. This was an attack on the world economy, one that will do harm to billions of people who rely on oil for their day-to-day activities. If the United Nations doesn’t take decisive and immediate action against Iran, they are as worthless as many of us have thought they’ve been all along.

This is a Saudi problem first and foremost. We sell them enough weapons and other technology that they should be able to strike back appropriately. But they’re an ally, so our involvement should be considered VERY carefully. However, the fact that this attack and other recent actions are directed towards the world economy should not only bolster the necessity for our response but should draw an international response through the United Nations.

President Trump said we’re ready.

Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2019

This is not our responsibility, but it affects us so we need to be involved in a response. Does that mean regime change? No. Not from us. We should be done with that after continuous failure. A response by the international community, urged on the United Nations by the Trump administration this week, is the better solution.

Unfortunately, if the United Nations doesn’t respond appropriately, we may have to. We are not the police, but this attack wasn’t just against an ally. It has an impact on American lives. We’re already prepared to tap into our own oil reserves as a result of the attack. Oil prices are going up. The world economy, including Wall Street, will be impacted. We aren’t able to sit back on this one and say, “Not our problem.”

We must first try to force the U.N. to do its job and come down hard on Iran. If they won’t do it, we may be forced to respond. As much as I’m not a warmonger, the Iranian regime is committing acts that affect Americans. They must be dealt with one way or the other.

We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is supposed to be a foreign affairs expert. He was an alleged expert when he was a Senator and he was supposed to be the foreign affairs side of the Democratic ticket in 2008. There are stories that President Obama turned to his Vice President for foreign affairs advice and even asked Biden to lead certain efforts, including the withdrawal from Iraq.

But based on his answers (plural) to a single question during the last Democratic debate, some are questioning whether or not he still has what it takes to be Commander-in-Chief. One such publication questioning his fitness is Vox, a far-left news outlet that tends to lean towards the socialists in the party, so normally their attacks on Biden wouldn’t even hit my radar. But this is different. The points they bring up about Biden’s answers are legitimate.

At times in his rambling response to whether it was a mistake to pull out of Iraq the way the Obama administration did, he seemed to confuse Iraq and Afghanistan. He also seemed to lack an understanding of the rise of ISIS, pointing fingers in multiple directions that didn’t jibe with what’s known of the terrorist group’s ascension.

The obvious question, one that has been getting raised more often lately, is whether or not Biden has lost a step or two in his mental capacity. Ageism is a challenge for some of the candidates, but Biden seems to be less lucid and focused than others in his age bracket. It isn’t just that he seems to have lost a step or two. He seems to be having trouble following his own trains of thought, which is a dangerous sign for someone who wants to become the leader of the free world.

Vox clearly has an anti-Biden agenda, but this article is not biased against him. It’s an accurate highlight of moments during the debate that should be making Biden’s own supporters start to ask questions about their candidate.

We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.