War powers panel taps Baker '52

Former Secretary of State James Baker '52 and Wilson School Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter '80 are members of a new commission formed to examine the war powers of Congress and the executive branch.

Baker, who served as secretary of state under the first President Bush, co-chairs the National War Powers Commission, which was created by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia and announced publicly in February. The commission's other co-chair is Warren Christopher, who was secretary of state under former president Bill Clinton. Slaughter is a member of the commission, along with a host of highly experienced public service officials.

The commission was created to make bipartisan recommendations on how Congress and the president can jointly implement war powers. "The Constitution lays out a shared responsibility between Congress and the president," Lisa Todorovich, the Miller Center's assistant director for communications, said. "However, there has been no definitive process ... [to determine] how we start [war], how we conduct it and how we end it."

Todorovich added that the purpose of the panel "is not only to study [these issues] but to come up with some solid recommendations."

"It's such a distinguished panel," she said. "These are the types of people that take these questions very seriously."

Baker's appointment to the commission is only the latest bullet point on a long resume of government service. "Baker has a track record as one of our most able public servants of the last half-century," Wilson School professor Robert Hutchings, who served as special adviser to Baker with the rank of ambassador, said in an email in November. "He is disciplined, analytic and open-minded ... with the lawyer's ability to master a brief quickly."

Baker and Slaughter could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

In addition to clarifying political procedures, the new war powers commission seeks to address disagreements between governmental branches over jurisdiction in the war-making process, the commission's press release said. Such friction can undermine the government's credibility and hinder relationships between relevant actors, it added.

There is no fixed timeline for the group to make policy suggestions, Todorovich said. The commission's first meeting is scheduled for April.

After recommendations are issued, they "will be entirely prospective in nature and not applicable to the present presidential administration or present Congress," a document explaining the project's longterm goals said.

The commission is composed of 12 members, including the co-chairs. The Miller Center has also convened commissions on topics such as federal election reform and the selection of federal judges.

Two other University alumni, Andrew Dubill '96 and W. Taylor Reveley '65, have been appointed to the commission. Reveley is a co-director along with John Jeffries, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. Dubill, a former private-practice lawyer, is their assistant, Reveley said in an interview.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

"I think these questions about the war powers are ever with us, and the discussion is always important to bring up," Reveley said.

Other members of the panel include former Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.), former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese and former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft.

Members of the commission are "a group of people who can, by their experience, really know their way around war and peace," Reveley said. "They've been very active in American government and American life for a long time."

The commission is also partnered with the James A. Baker III Institute of Public Policy at Rice University, the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford, Stanford Law School, the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary.

Reveley praised the ongoing role of former University students in government service and international discussion. "Princeton alumni are always interested in being good public citizens, and in our mission to be 'In the nation's service and in the service of all nations,' " Reveley said. "We have added to that now."