[lbo-talk] human rights abuses in Cuba...

Michael Pollak mpollak at panix.com
Fri May 2 18:00:34 PDT 2003


On Fri, 2 May 2003, Ian Murray wrote:


> Did the White House formally declare war on Iraq? I don't remember
> seeing anything in the Federal Register under Presidential Documents or
> anything remotely similar. Did I miss it?

Not in the sense of an official declaration of war. We rarely make them because it's Congress that has ot do it that cramps the executive style.

However Bush did go on TV and give Saddam a 48 hour deadline after which, he announced, hostilities would begin. (All the bombing that had taken place in the preceding month was unofficial.)

The laws about what has to happen once hostilities are over are part of the Geneva convention rather than US law. Which we pay enormous homage to in form while continually worming out of it in substance. Which is exactly what we are doing here.

Michael



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list