As the controversy surrounding the Niger attack escalates, Congress is again faced with the issue of war powers. While the Constitution requires a declaration of war from Congress, the federal legislative body has essentially given away this role with a blanket authorization for conflicts. This has been used and abused across administrations.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a known supporter of endless war, was recently asked in an interview about the Niger attack. The attack is believed to have been orchestrated by the Islamic State and resulted in four soldiers being killed. What was Senator Graham’s response? He didn’t even know there were troops in Niger.

Under the Constitution, Congress is required to give authorization to wars before they’re waged. Here is a member of Congress claiming he didn’t even know military activity was occurring. It raises the question as to whether we’re in too many places militarily.



Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), son of former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, has made a name for himself by taking defiant stands and pulling no punches. This has been on display numerous times throughout the year on topics such as healthcare and tax policy. Now, he’s chimed in on the issue involving the colleague he has previously sparred with.

In a tweet, Sen. Paul said, “You know you are in too many wars in too many places when even warmonger Lindsay Graham can’t keep track anymore.”

It’s the truth.

Sen. Graham has stated he should be briefed by the Defense Department in the next week and details should be forthcoming, but long after the damage has been done. He then moved to standard interventionist rhetoric about soldiers fighting and dying to defend America.

Did these soldiers die defending America? Their presence in Niger was not authorized under the Constitution, and the result was their death. Is this how we stop terrorism?

Since the deadly attack that left American soldiers dead, questions seem to be arising more than they are being answered. It is for this purpose debate should be occurring before entering in a conflict. There was no imminent danger to the United States and no need to act without ensuring we’re making the best decision for our country and military.

This doesn’t occur anymore, and the war state is out of control. The inability to keep track of where exactly our military is illustrates a failure to thoroughly debate the merits of where we send the troops. Sen. Graham is one of the loudest advocates for invading other countries and sending our soldiers into harm’s way.

What does it say about Sen. Graham, that he cannot even keep track of where he supports sending troops to die? This isn’t protecting America, and it’s not protecting America’s allies. Those soldiers died because of a failure of the United States government to function as it should and have a proper discussion about our military activities. This isn’t just about philosophy and debating for the sake of being argumentative.

Soldiers’ lives are at risk. If we’re going to send them into harm’s way, we should at least have the decency to keep track of where they’re being sent. Sen. Graham has failed the brave men and women in uniform yet again.