POLL: Can President Elevate Syrian Conflict Without Approval?

Published: 03 Sep, 2013

1 min read

President Barack Obama meets in the Situation Room with his national security advisors to discuss strategy in Syria, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Secretary of State John Kerry, on behalf of President Obama, is before Congress seeking approval to perform military actions in Syria. The President, however, has indicated that he may pursue military action even if he doesn’t get Congressional approval.

Under Article 8, Section 1 of the Constitution, “Congress shall have the power to declare war." Yet, the US has engaged in acts of war without Congressional approval dating back to the Quasi War of the John Adams administration all the way up to contemporary conflicts as recent as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya.

The last time Congress actually declared war was World War II.

Outside of an immediate threat, should any president be allowed to authorize an act of war without Congressional approval? Answer our poll on the left of the page today!

Then, make sure to leave a comment to let us know why you voted the way you did:

Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York

The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....

30 Oct, 2025

1 min read

Princeton Gerrymandering Project Gives California Prop 50 an 'F'

The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....

30 Oct, 2025

3 min read

5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering

Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....

31 Oct, 2025

4 min read

POLL: Can President Elevate Syrian Conflict Without Approval?

You Might Also Like