When Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz told Greta Van Susteren on The Record that presidents must retain the ability to order military operations, he was speaking as a constitutional realist and a defender of national security. His remarks, aired during his recent Newsmax appearances including the June 19, 2025 segment, cut through Washington’s posturing and reminded Americans that the commander-in-chief role is not an academic exercise. In an era of rising threats abroad, weakening that authority is dangerous to our troops and to the safety of the homeland.
Dershowitz pointed out the obvious to anyone who studies history: we have fought multiple wars without formal congressional declarations, and successful presidents have had to act swiftly when Congress dithered. From Korea to Kosovo and countless counterterror operations, the executive branch has been forced to step in when the nation’s security demanded it. Conservatives should be proud of leaders who secure the nation first and argue about paperwork later.
The left’s latest love affair with the War Powers Resolution is simply another attempt to hobble presidential authority and handcuff commanders at the moment of decision. Dershowitz warned that treating the War Powers Act as a straitjacket would hamstring any president trying to deter enemies or protect American forces, and he’s right to call out that overreach. We cannot let Congress pass the buck to judges while voters expect results on foreign threats and border chaos.
Recent skirmishes over deploying federal forces — including judicial attempts to block reinforcements — show exactly why Dershowitz asked, bluntly, who has the right to be wrong: the president making urgent security calls or distant judges second-guessing from ivory towers. When federal agents and troops are facing real danger, political theater in courtrooms is no substitute for decisive action to restore order and enforce the law. Patriots understand that deterrence requires firmness, not endless legal posturing.
Dershowitz also criticized calls to tie the president’s hands in the Middle East, noting that strategic ambiguity and the credible threat of force can yield diplomatic results — as seen in the recent delay on whether to strike Iran’s Fordow facility. Restricting the White House’s ability to threaten or use force when necessary hands leverage to our adversaries and undermines American power. Conservatives must insist that our leaders retain the tools to protect the nation and pressure enemies into better outcomes.
If Republicans believe in peace through strength, they must stop treating executive authority like a partisan football. Dershowitz’s plea — that the nation decide whether it trusts the president or prefers paralysis by committee — is a wake-up call for conservatives to defend the Constitution’s allocation of military power. Stand with those who put Americans first: defend the commander-in-chief’s ability to act, push back against judicial overreach, and stop surrendering our security to Washington’s bureaucratic indecision.
