Here is what the good Senator McCain believed about Presiential powers before

Sen. John McCain - October 19,1993

There is no reason for the United States of America to remain in Somalia. The American people want them home, I believe the majority of Congress wants them home, and to set an artificial date of March 31 or even February 1, in my view, is not acceptable. The criteria should be to bring them home as rapidly and safely as possible, an evolution which I think could be completed in a matter of weeks.

Our continued military presence in Somalia allows another situation to arise which could then lead to the wounding, killing or capture of American fighting men and women. We should do all in our power to avoid that.

I listened carefully to the President's remarks at a news conference that he held earlier today. I heard nothing in his discussion of the issue that would persuade me that further U.S. military involvement in the area is necessary. In fact, his remarks have persuaded me more profoundly that we should leave and leave soon.

Dates certain, Mr. President, are not the criteria here. What is the criteria and what should be the criteria is our immediate, orderly withdrawal from Somalia. And if we do not do that and other Americans die, other Americans are wounded, other Americans are captured because we stay too long--longer than necessary--then I would say that the responsibilities for that lie with the Congress of the United States who did not exercise their authority under the Constitution of the United States and mandate that they be brought home quickly and safely as possible [...]

I, along with many others, will have an amendment that says exactly that. It does not give any date certain. It does not say anything about any other missions that the United States may need or feels it needs to carry out. It will say that we should get out as rapidly and orderly as possible.

And unless anyone thinks its only McCain, every Republican Senator and Congressmen has similar statements. This while Sen Russ Feingold is moving to end the war in Iraq now, and allow the Civil War to reach an end, and McCain, Lieberman, and the rest of the warmongering, failures are screaming that congress doesn't have the responsiblities that McCain so stridently argued they did before.

So, to recap, when Democratic Presidents have troops in a war zone, it is perfectly legitimate to play politics beyond the waters edge, and for congress to force the President to withdraw from a war zone because it reflects the will of the people; and that congress can pass amendments for withdrawl that are binding. But if it goes against the Decider Dubya, well, then you're a dirty pinko commie fag.