---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I see this piece of legislation as…"
description: "\"I see this piece of legislation as essentially being a declaration of virtual war. It is giving the President tremendous powers to pursue war efforts a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/ron-paul-686_decades_i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essen_2873577.png"
---

#  I see this piece of legislation as essentially being a…

![“I see this piece of legislation as essentially being a declaration of virtual war. It is giving the President tremendous powers to pursue war efforts against a sovereign nation. ...I think it is another example of a flawed foreign policy that we have followed for a good many decades.” quote by Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/ron-paul-686_decades_i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essen_2873577.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/ron-paul-686_decades_i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essen_2873577.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/ron-paul-686_decades_i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essen_2873577.png)

> “I see this piece of legislation as essentially being a declaration of virtual war. It is giving the President tremendous powers to pursue war efforts against a sovereign nation. ...I think it is another example of a flawed foreign policy that we have followed for a good many decades.”

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The legislation is framed as a virtual war, granting extensive executive power and continuing a flawed foreign policy tradition.

**In simple terms:** The law gives the president war‑like powers, continuing bad policy.

Key Takeaway

Question authority and demand accountability.

Themes

politics war policy power

Mood

cautious critical concerned

Type

political ethical

When to use this quote

- legislative debate
- public protest
- media analysis

Key Concepts

executive overreach foreign intervention constitutional limits

Questions to Reflect On

- What checks can prevent abuse?
- How does this affect global stability?

A Different Perspective

Such powers risk unchecked aggression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Decades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decades/) [Declaration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declaration/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Flawed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flawed/) [Foreign policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-policy/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Legislation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislation/) [Legislation Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislation-essentially-3944711/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Piece Legislation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piece-legislation-639423/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Powers Pursue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powers-pursue-3944714/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Pursue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursue/) [Sovereign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sovereign/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Virtual War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtual-war-3944712/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Efforts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-efforts-3944713/)

## Related quotes

> [“After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States entered into World War II to protect our way of life and to help liberate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-martinelli/after-the-japanese-attacked-pearl-harbor-the-united-states-entered/)

[Kara Martinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-martinelli/)

> [In the 1990s, while the Maastricht debate was raging, I was a minister in the Major government. Every single piece of legislation we proposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/in-the-1990s-while-the-maastricht-debate-was-raging-i-was-a-minister/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [I didn't know how to pass a major piece of legislation; I didn't know how to get colleagues to support my views. It took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/i-didn-t-know-how-to-pass-a-major-piece-of-legislation-i-didn-t-know/)

[Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/)

> [Every piece of legislation which came to my desk in the coming years as the governor, I came down on the side of preserving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/every-piece-of-legislation-which-came-to-my-desk-in-the-coming-years/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

> [We know the legislation that passed the House. It was the worst piece of legislation frankly against working class people that I can remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-know-the-legislation-that-passed-the-house-it-was-the-worst-piece/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [I don't think that the problems or the issues relate to any single piece of legislation. I think that they really do relate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-gup/i-don-t-think-that-the-problems-or-the-issues-relate-to-any-single/)

[Ted Gup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-gup/)

> [79 senators, including that great conservative Elizabeth Warren, said they didn't like the medical device tax, so we will go at that law -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/79-senators-including-that-great-conservative-elizabeth-warren-said/)

[Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/)

> [“Bill C-9 was supposed to be a budget bill, but it came with innumerable measures that had little or nothing to do with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/bill-c-9-was-supposed-to-be-a-budget-bill-but-it-came-with/)

[Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/)

> [“The naively cynical measure a piece of legislation, a victory, a milestone not against the past or the limits of the possible, but against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/the-naively-cynical-measure-a-piece-of-legislation-a-victory-a/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [The House of Representatives was not designed to sit idly by and rubberstamp every piece of legislation sent their way by the Senate, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-boortz/the-house-of-representatives-was-not-designed-to-sit-idly-by-and/)

[Neal Boortz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-boortz/)

> [Carolyn Maloney knows how to get something done, and as I said, it doesn't matter if she's in the majority or the minority. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-smeal/carolyn-maloney-knows-how-to-get-something-done-and-as-i-said-it/)

[Eleanor Smeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-smeal/)

> [A good compromise, a good piece of legislation, is like a good sentence; or a good piece of music. Everybody can recognize it. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/a-good-compromise-a-good-piece-of-legislation-is-like-a-good-sentence/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Obamacare wouldn't exist - it's saved millions of lives - without Pelosi getting it through the House. Not a perfect piece of legislation, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-moulton/obamacare-wouldn-t-exist-it-s-saved-millions-of-lives-without-pelosi/)

[Seth Moulton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-moulton/)

> [It is a rare piece of legislation indeed where there is so much agreement about the goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/it-is-a-rare-piece-of-legislation-indeed-where-there-is-so-much/)

[Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/)

> [We all understand that the Affordable Care Act is not working perfectly. In fact, any major piece of legislation like this has to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/we-all-understand-that-the-affordable-care-act-is-not-working/)

[Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/)

## More by Ron Paul

> [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [I'm an imperfect messenger, but the message is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-m-an-imperfect-messenger-but-the-message-is-perfect/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [History has shown that the masses have been quite receptive to the promises of authoritarians which are rarely if ever fulfilled,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/history-has-shown-that-the-masses-have-been-quite-receptive-to-the/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [The reality is that our military presence on foreign soil is as offensive to the people that live there as armed Chinese troops would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-reality-is-that-our-military-presence-on-foreign-soil-is-as/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [Right now, nobody legalized paper money. Where did that come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/right-now-nobody-legalized-paper-money-where-did-that-come-from/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [Real patriotism is a willingness to challenge the government when it's wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/real-patriotism-is-a-willingness-to-challenge-the-government-when-it/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [Expect the rapidly expanding homeschooling movement to play a significant role in the revolutionary reforms needed to build a free society with Constitutional protections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/expect-the-rapidly-expanding-homeschooling-movement-to-play-a/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [“Intellectually and compassionately explaining the reason freedom works is required for credibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/intellectually-and-compassionately-explaining-the-reason-freedom/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [Governments have nothing. They can't create anything, they never have. All they can do is steal from one group and give it to another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/governments-have-nothing-they-can-t-create-anything-they-never-have/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [Why is it is claimed that if people won't or can't take care of their own needs, that people in government can do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/why-is-it-is-claimed-that-if-people-won-t-or-can-t-take-care-of-their/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [It is dissent from government policies which defines the true Patriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/it-is-dissent-from-government-policies-which-defines-the-true-patriot/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-moral-and-constitutional-obligations-of-our-representatives-in/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [I will veto any spending bill that contains funding for Planned Parenthood, facilities that perform abortion and all government family planning schemes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-will-veto-any-spending-bill-that-contains-funding-for-planned/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [Prices are going up. Unemployment is continue to go up. And we have not had the necessary correction for the financial bubble created by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/prices-are-going-up-unemployment-is-continue-to-go-up-and-we-have-not/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [Scientifically, there's no debate over whether the fetus is alive and human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/scientifically-there-s-no-debate-over-whether-the-fetus-is-alive-and/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

[Explore all 411 Ron Paul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

## More Decades quotes

> [Nature will eventually do what nature has always done. It will respond in a self-stabilizing manner over the long term with moderate variability over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-sununu/nature-will-eventually-do-what-nature-has-always-done-it-will-respond/)

[John H. Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-sununu/)

> [Music's free and music's for everyone to enjoy and express and interpret. It transcends countries and times and decades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/music-s-free-and-music-s-for-everyone-to-enjoy-and-express-and/)

[Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/)

> [I should have liked to get married, but over many decades I have lived essentially alone. I go to sleep when I'm tired, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-should-have-liked-to-get-married-but-over-many-decades-i-have-lived/)

[Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/)

> [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/)

[Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/)

> [Among the many factors that make a return to halcyon days of the first decades of the postwar era virtually impossible is the decline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gilpin/among-the-many-factors-that-make-a-return-to-halcyon-days-of-the/)

[Robert Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gilpin/)

> [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [It's funny, I used to say on 'That 70's Show', you could really put us in any decade, and it was about the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-prepon/it-s-funny-i-used-to-say-on-that-70-s-show-you-could-really-put-us-in/)

[Laura Prepon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-prepon/)

> [So a truthful assessment of how America is doing in the war on terror as a result of President Bush's war on Iraq is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/so-a-truthful-assessment-of-how-america-is-doing-in-the-war-on-terror/)

[John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/)

> [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

> [Nothing evades our attention as persistently as that which we take for granted... the decades roll on without even a suggestion that perhaps the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-brady/nothing-evades-our-attention-as-persistently-as-that-which-we-take/)

[Marion Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-brady/)

> [My dad was a bartender. My mom was a cashier, a maid and a stock clerk at K-Mart. They never made it big. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-dad-was-a-bartender-my-mom-was-a-cashier-a-maid-and-a-stock-clerk/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [This bill would allow an employee to bring a claim against an employer decades after the alleged initial act of discrimination occurred. Trial lawyers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-mckeon/this-bill-would-allow-an-employee-to-bring-a-claim-against-an/)

[Buck McKeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-mckeon/)

> [The greatest problem in Japanese politics over the last two decades is that we put off what needed to be done. We have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshihiko-noda/the-greatest-problem-in-japanese-politics-over-the-last-two-decades/)

[Yoshihiko Noda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshihiko-noda/)

[Browse all 1,717 Decades quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decades/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I see this piece of legislation as essentially being a declaration of virtual war. It is giving the President tremendous powers to pursue war efforts against a sovereign nation. ...I think it is another example of a flawed foreign policy that we have followed for a good many decades.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ron Paul"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essentially-being-a-declaration-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Decades"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essentially-being-a-declaration-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/ron-paul-686_decades_i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essen_2873577.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/ron-paul-686_decades_i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essen_2873577.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/ron-paul-686_decades_i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essen_2873577.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I see this piece of legislation as essentially being a declaration of virtual war. It is giving the…” — Ron Paul",
                "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": "Ron Paul",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I see this piece of legislation...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essentially-being-a-declaration-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essentially-being-a-declaration-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
