Declaring War House member Charles Rangel, D-NY, is not far from the mark when he calls for re-instatement of the draft. But with one caveat .. only so in time of war as declared by the Congress. The last war we won was WWII. A declaration of war was sought by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and granted unanimously by both chambers of Congress on December 8th, 1941. It was the day following Japan's sneak attack at Pearl Harbor. Our ensuing effort was an all hands evolution. Winning took nearly four years. No American was excused from its consequences. Rationing of goods, gasoline, automobiles and some diminished freedoms were applied universally. Normal living was on pause. It was put up or shut up time. Americans put up. Not since that historic conflict, has war been declared by the Congress as clearly stipulated in our Constitution's Article 1 Section 8. Coincidentally, not one of the last three major WARS in which we have taken part have resulted in victory. Committing our armed forces into war is a grave decision. It's a time of criticality, separations, shattered lives, suffering and sadness It must be entered into as such. Given this, why the War Powers Resolution of 1973? This act by Congress was and remains a tarnished abdication of one of the Congresses' most critical responsibilites. It' a political cop-out and institutional disgrace. It should be exorcised from the books. This Act made the disastrous tragedies of Korea, Vietnam and Iraq not only possible, but near impossible to avoid. Will our next Congress be prepared to declare war on terrorism?

xchagalx