Bob Woodward Joins Former Speaker Dennis Hastert For U.S. Association Of Former Members Of Congress/National Archives Free Lecture Series

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Veteran Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and former Members of Congress Chris Shays and John Tanner, will take part in a free panel discussion at the National Archives that examines Congress' role in managing international conflicts. The panel will be moderated by Mike McCurry.

WHO: Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert(R-IL); former Members of Congress Chris Shays(R-CT) and John Tanner(D-TN); Washington Post Journalist and author Bob Woodward,. The panel will be moderated by White House Press Secretary for President Bill Clinton, Mike McCurry.  Opening remarks will be given by the Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero; and Barbara Kennelly, president-elect of FMC.

WHAT/WHERE: The June panel, which is part of the FMC/National Archives quarterly lecture series, is called: The Role of Congress in Dealing with Major International Crises. It will take place at the National Archives on Thursday, June 5, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm., 700 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. With the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down, the crisis in the Ukraine and other nations around the world, the 70^th anniversary of D-Day, and the 100^th anniversary of the beginning of World I, this will be an especially timely panel discussion.

BACKGROUND: The Founding Fathers, when creating a government of checks and balances, believed the power to wage war to be too great as that one citizen – the President – could be entrusted with it.  Therefore, the Constitution clearly states in Article 1, Section 8:  "[Congress shall have Power…} To Declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water." 

Once war is declared by Congress, the power shifts to the Commander in Chief to oversee the conduct and the direction of the war, with Congress' only input coming via appropriating requested funding.  This panel of former Members of Congress and other issue experts will examine how this division of powers and responsibilities has been interpreted in the past; how military action was taken without the authorization of Congress; and how the conduct of war is influenced by the legislative branch. 

The panels are free and open to the public. They are part of FMC's Common Ground Project, a program that connects bipartisan panels of former Members with the public for timely, issue-specific discussions with both Republicans and Democrats.  Past panels that were part of this series have included Carol Moseley-Braun, Connie Morella, Mary Bono, Trent Lott, Leader Pelosi, Blanche Lincoln, Fred Thompson, among many others. FMC's mission is to promote dialog, bipartisanship and service.

Coverage is invited.  Interviews with panelists are available.

SOURCE U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress

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