Almost everyone in the country is calling what this country is doing in Iraq a war. Those that call it a war, just by using the word war, are enabling these "war addicts" in the Bush administration. I submit that it is not a war and should not be called a war.

In October 2002, the majority of congress signed the "Joint Resolution To Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq". In that Resolution there was this statement:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________(1) SPECIFIC STATUTORY AUTHORIZATION. -- Consistent with section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers Resolution, the Congress declares that this section is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution.

(2) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER REQUIREMENTS. -- Nothing in this resolution supersedes any requirement of the War Powers Resolution.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

If you read the War Powers Resolution, you will find that the President has met none of those requirements and since there wasn't a Declaration War then he should have terminated the use of Military Armed Forces within 60 days.

But let's assume that the administration was correct in their terminalogy and that the original invasion of Iraq was a war and that the Resolution Congress signed could be construed as a "Declaration of War".

Under those circumstances if this country went to war with Iraq on 20 March 2003 then on 2 May 2003 Bush declared that major combat operations had ended and in June 2004 Iraq became a sovereign country.

So, if we were at war (which is questionable) with Iraq in March 2003 then who are we at war with now? Iraq is supposedly an ally of the United States so how could we be at war with them.

Those who are supportive of this Iraq occupation say that Congress doesn't have the authority to legislate a troop withdrawal but the war act says that the president needs approval of congress to keep the troops in conflict.

Those who continue to label this illegal occupation of a foreign country as a war are doing are enabling this "War President" and doing a dis-service to the american public. If everyone were to call it what it is then there wouldn't be that win/lose mentality and it would be easier to extricate ourselves from the mess that these idiots have gotten us into.

Bush pundants keep remnding everyone that, after all, he is the Commander in Chief but the constitution states

"The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States;"

I'll leave it to better people than I to figure out what called into the actual service of the US means.

I mentally cringe every time I hear the word war used to describe this Iraq occupation.

Anyway that's one man's opinion.