Had the U.S. Congress formally declared war on Iraq in either of the
two recent campaigns?

Dear kspel-ga;

Excellent question! A formal declaration of war requires an approval
and issuance of such a declaration by Congress. The United States has
formally declared war against a foreign nation eleven times since the
country?s inception. Iraq is not among them.

WIKIPEDIA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_war_by_the_United_States

The United States has, however, become involved in a number of
extended military engagements that, while not formally declared wars,
were explicitly authorized by Congress, short of a formal declaration
of war. The two military operations in Iraq are among these
engagements authorized by the United States Congress by way a joint
resolution that served as a formal ?authorization of force? rather
than a formal declaration of war.

As ?names? go these two engagements do appear to be headed for the
historical monikers, ?The Persian Gulf War? and the ?Iraq War?, though
these names are technically somewhat of a misnomer in the same way
that the ?Korean War? and ?Vietnam War? are similarly remembered,
since these too were undeclared campaigns.

So, in answer to your question, NO, the United States never officially
declared war on Iraq in either case (or Afghanistan either for that
matter). While President George W. Bush publicly ?declared? (in the
sense that he merely spoke it) a global war on terrorism following the
attacks of September 11th, his personal declaration carries no
constitutional authority absent an act of Congress. In truth no US
President since Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II has
officially declared war against an enemy of the state.

I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher




INFORMATION SOURCES

JURIST
?WHAT IS WAR??
http://www.jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/oconnell1.php

WIKIPEDIA
?JOINT RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE THE USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES AGAINST IRAQ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Resolution_to_Authorize_the_Use_of_United_States_Armed_Forces_Against_Iraq


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"Had the U.S. Congress formally declared war on Iraq in either of the
two recent campaigns?"


http://encarta.msn.com/guide_whocandeclarewar/Who_Can_Declare_War_Backgrounder_and_Research_Guide.html

"Seeking to oust Iraq's authoritarian leader, Saddam Hussein, United
States president George W. Bush petitioned both the U.S. Congress and
the Security Council of the United Nations (UN) to authorize a
military strike against Iraq. The Bush administration accused Iraq of
stockpiling weapons of mass destruction and argued that Saddam
Hussein's regime posed a grave threat to U.S. security and peace in
the region.

After intensive lobbying by the Bush administration, in early October
2002, the U.S. House of Representatives and then the U.S. Senate voted
overwhelmingly to give President Bush broad authority to use force
against Iraq. Then on November 8, 2002, the Bush administration won a
unanimous vote by the UN Security Council requiring Iraq to
demonstrate that it is disarming its weapons of mass destruction or
face "serious consequences." The UN then sent a team of weapons
inspectors to Iraq to verify Iraqi compliance with this resolution,
known as UN Resolution 1441....
....The Constitution of the United States gives Congress alone the
authority to formally declare war. But in several past conflicts
Congress has relinquished this authority to the president. In fact,
Congress has not issued a formal declaration of war since World War
II.

U.S. presidents after World War II have assumed most of the authority
to send U.S. troops into battle. The Korean War (1950-1953), for
example, was regarded by the U.S. government as a police action rather
than as a war, and President Harry S. Truman never sought a
declaration of war from Congress. And in 1964 Congress passed the Gulf
of Tonkin Resolution, which effectively ceded to President Lyndon B.
Johnson the ability to wage war against Vietnam. Congress passed a
similar resolution on January 12, 1991, authorizing President George
H. W. Bush to use force against Iraq in the Persian Gulf War.

The current president Bush also never sought a formal declaration of
war from Congress. Instead, he requested, and received, the authority
to use armed forces "as he determines to be necessary and appropriate"
to defend American interests against "the continuing threat posed by
Iraq."