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Checks and Balances, the Sweet Smell of Constitutional Duty

This week's likely going to be another crazy one in the Senate. Carl Levin -- a persistent senator if there every was one -- is spearheading a plan to shrink the war authorization given to the President in 2002. Back then, you'll remember, Congress gave Bush all the freedom in the world to do what he saw fit in Iraq.

(For the record, Levin was one of the 23 "nay" votes on the war in the first place. He's got nothing to apologize for there. Heck, if you don't mind me reminiscing a bit, ah hem -- I was working in the House back in 2002 and I remember this vote so clearly. And what sticks in my head most is how many of us staffers were just so befuddled: why were our institutions so dead set on rushing into this war? Levin was one of those members you looked to and thought, hey, maybe I'm not so crazy after all.)

We all know how this story goes. Bush took the power "to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq" and, well, ran with it. Now Levin aims to use a second binding resolution to call the President back home. On Meet the Press this morning, Levin gave an overview of the plan for this week:



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