00:00How can America continue this conflict right now without approval from Congress?
00:07So it is what many people would say you're getting into the inner workings of governing.
00:14Some would also say that it is the backbone of democracy.
00:19According to the Constitution, the president has to go to Congress for authorization.
00:26But it's not that simple.
00:28He has 60 days where he could get into a conflict, as he has.
00:35And then some would say he has another 30 days, which are supposed to be when he's extricating himself.
00:43But Pete Hegseth said recently that because of the pause, the ceasefire, that the 60-day clock was going to
00:53be reset.
00:55Now, not too many people are believing that.
00:58Even many Republicans are saying that's definitely not the case.
01:03We have to remember that this Congress, I think we can all admit, has not been the bravest when it
01:10comes to standing up to Donald Trump.
01:12It's majority Republicans, and they pretty much have been rubber stamping whatever it is that Donald Trump wants.
01:20So in this particular case, where the Constitution, the letter of the law may say something, there is a spirit
01:28that's attached to it that I think says something else.
01:33I'll give you an example.
01:34Donald Trump recognized when he wanted to create his ballroom, he was going to have to tear down at least
01:41part of the East Wing.
01:42So he stood up in front of the press and he said, I'm only going to be tearing down part
01:46of it.
01:47Of course, he went ahead and did whatever he wanted to do, and the whole thing came down.
01:51And his point of view, you kind of can understand it, is that once it's all gone, there's nothing that
01:57they can do.
01:58So I think Donald Trump's idea in this particular case, when it comes to something like, did he go to
02:03Congress, didn't he go to Congress?
02:05If he absolutely has to, it's something that he can talk about or try and figure out after the fact.
02:12The last thing that I will say on this is that the Constitution divides it a little bit awkwardly, where
02:18the Constitution says that Congress has the power to declare war.
02:22But we all know that the president, who is the commander in chief, controls the military.
02:28So you're stuck with a lack of clarity.
02:31And what's supposed to happen is that the spirit is supposed to come into play, where you're supposed to come
02:37together, Republicans and Democrats, and figure out what's best.
02:40But that's certainly not, you know, we're not in that environment in America in 2026, where you're going to have
02:46a lot of compromise on either side.
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