#7 That represents the most daring congressional attempt to micromanage ongoing armed hostilities since the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War challenged President Abraham Lincoln.
Oh, I think I beg to disagree.
I would think that the imposition of the War Powers Act is a far greater "congressional attempt to micromanage ongoing armed hostilities" than what the JCOtCotW ever tried.
Go here for a decent review,
http://www.civilwarhome.com/committee.htm
Here's the last paragraph,
The committees overall impact on Northern military operations is mixed. In some instances, it efforts had positive results. For instance, its investigations of light draught monitors, heavy ordnance, and ice contracts did expose waste, inefficiencies, and bureaucratic red tape. Its report on Union prisoners of war and the Fort Pillow massacre gave a much needed boost to Northern morale at a critical juncture of the war. At the same time, many of its investigations, particularly where the committee was successful in forcing Lincolns hand, had a negative impact on the war efforts. In many cases, the generals the committee endorsed were "correct" on the slavery issue, but militarily incompetent: Fremont and John Pope being two of the most obvious examples. Perhaps the biggest drawback to the committees work was its contribution to an atmosphere of jealousy and distrust among the nations elite officer corps--something that could only detract from waging war. Finally, in many investigations, the impact the committee had was neither positive nor negative. Hour after hour of testimony was taken, witness after witness was interviewed, yet nothing of practical value emerged. in many cases, the committees work was a waste of time, energy, and resources--something superfluous, something that detracted from the Unions ability to wage war. Committee members were motivated by patriotic and humanitarian sentiments; however, lack of military knowledge combined with too broad of an investigative latitude conspired to limit their usefulness to the Union war effort.
Source: "Encyclopedia of the American War" edited by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler, article by Bruce Tap.
By comparison, the War Powers Act severely constrains the power of the POTUS to conduct military operations without reporting to Congress within specified periods of time.
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After 16 undistinguished terms in Congress, Rep. John P. Murtha at long last felt his moment had arrived. He could not keep quiet the secret Democratic strategy that he had forged for the promised "second step" against President Bush's Iraq policy (after the "first step" of a nonbinding resolution of disapproval). In an interview last Thursday with the antiwar Web site MoveCongress.org, he revealed plans to put conditions on funding of U.S. troops. His message: I am running this show.