John Warner Quotes

The American system is so constituted that it produces a conflict between the Executive and Congress every time the Executive tries to be positive and strong.

The way I read the Constitution,. the Congress is paid a salary to determine whether we should go to war ... Therefore, I don't think Congress is earning its money.

Congress is always looking for occasions to differ from the President.

Congress no longer declares war or makes budgets. So that's the end of the constitution as a working machine.

It is often noted that it can be hard for democracies to fight wars because of changing public opinion.

Let's push the Pentagon off the fiscal cliff.

There is, of course, always the possibility, that two such powerful and well--financed agencies as CIA and DIA will become rivals and competitors.

The Democrats are the party of war.

The involvement of the government in military adventures always results in the expansion, at least temporarily, of Presidential power.

The troops are at war, but the Pentagon is not.

I've been in two different administrations, and I would say, particularly, President Obama was really careful to make sure that he wouldn't invoke executive privilege unless absolutely necessary. He only invoked it once in eight years, even though many years he had Congress opposed to him in terms of being from the opposite party.

As members of Congress, we may disagree with the administration's position on foreign policy matters, but the fact remains: the Executive Branch is tasked with handling diplomatic matters.

But the federal government, our collective government, has responsibilities that none of these other levels of government can fulfill; and chief among these is national defense.

That is the best Government, which best provides for war.

I am not a federal employee. I am a constitutional officer. My job is the Constitution of the United States, I am not a government employee. I am in the Constitution.

Well, no American wants to in any way hurt our capabilities to national defense, but that doesn't mean an unlimited amount of money, and a blank check for anything they want at any time, for any purpose. Not at all.

Politics is very interesting and always leads to conflict.

As a member of Congress, I believe Congress must provide oversight of actions by the Executive Branch as our system of checks and balances requires.

I don't want a government shutdown. I don't think anyone does.

Under the doctrine of separation of powers, the manner in which the president personally exercises his assigned executive powers is not subject to questioning by another branch of government.

I came here as a practical man, to talk, not simply on the question of peace and war, but to treat another question which is of hardly less importance - the enormous and burdensome standing armaments which it is the practice of modern Governments to sustain in time of peace.

The Congress may no more regulate the president's ability to detain and interrogate enemy combatants than it may regulate his ability to direct troop movements on the battlefield

I am voting for this war so as not to be disloyal to President Bush.

Congressmen take an independent oath to protect and defend the Constitution. They work with the President; they do not work for the President.

When the Budget has once been approved by the President and transmitted to Congress, it is his budget estimate and no officer or official of the War Department would have any right to come up here and attempt to get a single dollar more than is contained in that estimate .