[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Another Joke is that Congress issue a Formal Declaration of War....which I don't think was done withe the Barbary Pirates either.....

And we didn't start this WAR either....see this:

Terrorists in Their Own Words -(A compilation drawn from translations ......)

[neverdem]

Thanks for the link.

[El Gato]

Another Joke is that Congress issue a Formal Declaration of War....which I don't think was done withe the Barbary Pirates either.....

They didn't, although the bad guys did declare war on us, the same way Osama did, verbally, and also symbolically by cutting down the flagpole in front our legation. That was the First Barbary War, during Jefferson's administrations. During Monroe's administration, Congress was again asked for permission, but not to declare war, it being understood that a state of war already existed, courtesy of the Musslemen.

In that way, it's very analogous to both the first and second Persian Gulf Wars, and the war in the Afghan theater. The War existed. the President asked permission to fight it, at a time and place of his choosing.