[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8675]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         OUR DEFINING MOMENT: RECLAIMING THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

  (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, this House has just had a great 
constitutional debate about the meaning of article I, section 8, where 
the Founders made it very clear that the war power is placed in the 
hands of Congress.
  This debate that occurred today is not an end. It is a beginning. It 
is a beginning because we have seen one resolution which derived its 
presence from a resolution that I put forward on a bipartisan basis. 
One resolution passed which put the White House on notice that Congress 
is beginning to take a more appropriate role with respect to the 
Constitution, and that's a good thing.
  But make no mistake that this issue of liberty is not going to go 
away. With the spending soon approaching $1 billion and with NATO 
openly talking about the commission of ground troops, we'll be back 
here another day to consider further what our appropriate 
constitutional role is.
  I want to congratulate Members on both sides of the aisle no matter 
how you voted. This is our moment to begin to reclaim the Constitution.

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