Make it mandatory for presidents to be on the hattlefield with the troops. (Congress, legal)
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At least in the ancient past, it was common for the king or pharoahs to join their armies on the ground to give them moral support.
It should be mandatory for the president and those high up in the chain calling for these wars to be on the battle field along with everyone else.
They need to have skin in the game.
In ancient times, the king joined the troops because they did not have legitimate support for their power. They needed the army to be on their side to help quash any opposition. Being seen by the troops near the battlefield made them palatable to the military, else any general could command his troops to overthrow whoever is in civilian control.
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I doubt we'll ever see it mandatory for the POTUS to appear on the battlefield. What I'd like to see is a Constitutional Amendment limiting the time a POTUS can deploy combat troops (I'd say 3 months allows time to cool a hot spot) anywhere in the world without a declaration of war being voted by Congress. Let those who want war sign their names to the declaration and be held responsible.
I understand the sentiment behind this idea, but the fact is, it's not a good one. POTUS would be the number one target to be killed (or worse, captured), and if I were on the battlefield, I wouldn't want him/her anywhere near me. You might as well put a bullseye on the backs of those soldiers. I know, I know - it's war, and they're all at risk, but that would put a hell of an additional burden on anyone who was actually fighting in his vicinity.
There are other reasons this is a bad idea. That one's just for starters.
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