Commentary
On Jan. 20, 2021, Joe Biden swore the following oath before God and the world to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” From Article II of the U.S. Constitution: “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States.”
Defense of the Constitution of course includes defense of the country. The Founders probably thought that “national defense” was implicit in the Executive’s duties and responsibilities and thus didn’t call that phrase out specifically. After all, a war had just been fought and won with the British to win America’s independence. Without “national defense” (later, “national security”), the country would cease to exist over time….