--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have gone into a war, an unelected…" description: "\"We have gone into a war, an unelected president sending us into a war that the Congress frankly had no right, I believe, to authorize.\" — Carol Moseley..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/carol-moseley-braun-13956_believe_we-have-gone-into-a-war-an-unelected-pre_264321.jpg" --- # We have gone into a war, an unelected president sending us… ![“We have gone into a war, an unelected president sending us into a war that the Congress frankly had no right, I believe, to authorize.” quote by Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/carol-moseley-braun-13956_believe_we-have-gone-into-a-war-an-unelected-pre_264321.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/carol-moseley-braun-13956_believe_we-have-gone-into-a-war-an-unelected-pre_264321.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/carol-moseley-braun-13956_believe_we-have-gone-into-a-war-an-unelected-pre_264321.jpg) > “We have gone into a war, an unelected president sending us into a war that the Congress frankly had no right, I believe, to authorize.” [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A critique of an unauthorized war initiated by a president without congressional approval. **In simple terms:** War started without proper authority. Key Takeaway Demand accountability before war. Themes politics war constitutional law leadership Mood concerned critical Type political activist When to use this quote - public debate - policy making - citizen activism - legislative oversight Key Concepts separation of powers executive overreach democratic legitimacy Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms ensure war powers are respected? - How can citizens influence foreign policy decisions? A Different Perspective The president may argue national security justifies bypassing Congress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Most US presidents since World War II have led military actions without a declaration of war by Congress, though most, if not all, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/most-us-presidents-since-world-war-ii-have-led-military-actions/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [Was the Vietnam conflict a war which should have, as a matter of constitutional law, required a declaration of war by Congress?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/was-the-vietnam-conflict-a-war-which-should-have-as-a-matter-of/) [Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/) > [The Constitution's pretty clear. The Federalist papers are pretty clear... They very specifically delegated the power to declare war to Congress. They wanted this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/the-constitution-s-pretty-clear-the-federalist-papers-are-pretty/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [The constitution vests the power of declaring war in Congress; therefore no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken until after they shall have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-constitution-vests-the-power-of-declaring-war-in-congress/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Though no one wants war, Congress needed to give the President the authority he needs to protect America while encouraging the use of diplomacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-boyd/though-no-one-wants-war-congress-needed-to-give-the-president-the/) [Allen Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-boyd/) > [Little Bush says we are at war, but we are not at war because to be at war Congress has to vote for it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/little-bush-says-we-are-at-war-but-we-are-not-at-war-because-to-be-at/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This country of ours has committed the most serious act of aggression in its history by engaging in a war of aggression without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-clark/this-country-of-ours-has-committed-the-most-serious-act-of-aggression/) [Ramsey Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-clark/) > [Congress has created and funded a huge peacetime military that has substantial abilities to wage offensive operations, and it has not placed restrictions on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/congress-has-created-and-funded-a-huge-peacetime-military-that-has/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [When the President decides to go to war, he no longer needs a declaration of war from congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/when-the-president-decides-to-go-to-war-he-no-longer-needs-a/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [Borrowing money on what's called 'easy terms,' is a one-way ticket to the Poor House. If you think it ain't a Sucker Game, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/borrowing-money-on-what-s-called-easy-terms-is-a-one-way-ticket-to/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [It's disgraceful that year after year, Congress has bowed to the tobacco lobby and refused to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/it-s-disgraceful-that-year-after-year-congress-has-bowed-to-the/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [So our focus has to be on the things that we can control, which is to take the necessary measures working with Congress to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-carney/so-our-focus-has-to-be-on-the-things-that-we-can-control-which-is-to/) [Jay Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-carney/) > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [We will make sure our troops have all that is necessary to complete their missions. That's why I went to the Congress last September…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-will-make-sure-our-troops-have-all-that-is-necessary-to-complete/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Well, my wife, Cathy Gillespie, worked for Joe Barton, who was running for Congress in 1984.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/well-my-wife-cathy-gillespie-worked-for-joe-barton-who-was-running/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) ## More by Carol Moseley Braun > [The reason that minorities and women don't have a better shot at getting elected to the Senate or to statewide office is because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/the-reason-that-minorities-and-women-don-t-have-a-better-shot-at/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [I'm used to people not paying me a whole lot of attention and underestimating me and, frankly, for me a big challenge is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/i-m-used-to-people-not-paying-me-a-whole-lot-of-attention-and/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [The really important victory of the civil rights movement was that it made racism unpopular, whereas a generation ago at the turn of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/the-really-important-victory-of-the-civil-rights-movement-was-that-it/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [If I lose, I'm going to retire from politics, practice law, and wear bright leather pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/if-i-lose-i-m-going-to-retire-from-politics-practice-law-and-wear/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [There are a number of steps that we can take to reinvigorate and rebuild the economic and the physical infrastructure of our country and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/there-are-a-number-of-steps-that-we-can-take-to-reinvigorate-and/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [I was very productive as a senator for my state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/i-was-very-productive-as-a-senator-for-my-state/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [There are those who would keep us slipping back into the darkness of division, into the snake pit of racial hatred, of racial antagonism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/there-are-those-who-would-keep-us-slipping-back-into-the-darkness-of/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [I want to rebuild America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/i-want-to-rebuild-america/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [I've always maintained that black people and women suffer from a presumption of incompetence. The burdens of proof are different. It just gets so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/i-ve-always-maintained-that-black-people-and-women-suffer-from-a/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [All I really want to be is boring. When people talk about me, I'd like them to say, Carol's basically a short Bill Bradley.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/all-i-really-want-to-be-is-boring-when-people-talk-about-me-i-d-like/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [Magic lies in challenging what seems impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/magic-lies-in-challenging-what-seems-impossible/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [I think the legacy of the civil rights movement is that now whites are more open to being represented by people of color or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/i-think-the-legacy-of-the-civil-rights-movement-is-that-now-whites/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [Bush is giving the rich a tax cut instead of putting that cut in the pockets of working people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/bush-is-giving-the-rich-a-tax-cut-instead-of-putting-that-cut-in-the/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [I'm committed to universal health coverage and education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/i-m-committed-to-universal-health-coverage-and-education/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [And frankly, being a woman I think gives me a slightly different take on a lot of the issues and on a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/and-frankly-being-a-woman-i-think-gives-me-a-slightly-different-take/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) [Explore all 48 Carol Moseley Braun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have gone into a war, an unelected president sending us into a war that the Congress frankly had no right, I believe, to authorize.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carol Moseley Braun" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/we-have-gone-into-a-war-an-unelected-president-sending-us-into-a-war/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/we-have-gone-into-a-war-an-unelected-president-sending-us-into-a-war/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/carol-moseley-braun-13956_believe_we-have-gone-into-a-war-an-unelected-pre_264321.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/carol-moseley-braun-13956_believe_we-have-gone-into-a-war-an-unelected-pre_264321.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/carol-moseley-braun-13956_believe_we-have-gone-into-a-war-an-unelected-pre_264321.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have gone into a war, an unelected president sending us into a war that the Congress frankly had no…” — Carol Moseley Braun", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Carol Moseley Braun", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We have gone into a war,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/we-have-gone-into-a-war-an-unelected-president-sending-us-into-a-war/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/we-have-gone-into-a-war-an-unelected-president-sending-us-into-a-war/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```