Smiddy: A President of the United States of America as Commander In Chief Of The armed forces can send his country to war anywhere in the world ,by HIS WORD ? he doesn`t have to have the backing of all or even a majority of the states of the union to do so ? Do I have that right ? yes/no ?
No, you do not have that right.
Only the US Congress has the authority to declare war.
- The Congress shall have Power To . . . provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.” — U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 8, clause 1
Note these comments from the US House of Representatives which further expound on this, including the historical context and background:
"Like many powers articulated in the U.S. Constitution, Congress’ authority to declare war was revolutionary in its design, and a clear break from the past when a handful of European monarchs controlled the continent’s affairs.
"The framers of the Constitution—reluctant to concentrate too much influence in the hands of too few—denied the office of the President the authority to go to war unilaterally. If America was going to survive as a republic, they reasoned, declarations of war required careful debate in open forums among the public’s representatives." - Emphasis added