When Barack Obama bombed Libya in 2011, a number of conservative voices spoke out against the president starting an unconstitutional war. Those Republicans insisted that presidents must go through Congress to declare war, as Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution requires.

As James Madison wrote to Thomas Jefferson in a 1798 letter:

"The Constitution supposes, what the history of all governments demonstrates, that the executive is the branch of power most interested in war, and most prone to it. It has accordingly with studied care, vested the question of war in the legislature."

Neoconservative talk host Mark Levin thought Madison was ridiculous, however. Levin said of Obama's unilateral decision to start a war with Libya, "I don't believe in politicizing the Constitution. I believe the Constitution is the rock of this society. So all this talk about the attacks on Libya are unconstitutional because we don't have a declaration of war, that's ridiculous. That's absolutely ridiculous."

Levin believes that any president can start wars at any time and for any reason, without consulting anyone. The elected members of Congress have no say and should have no say.