Re:The NSA is Commandeering the Internet
by jonnybgood on Thursday August 15, 2013 @11:24AM
(#6218356)
As I said, it's a term they use. For example, see Vietnam, Gulf War, and Iraq War. Congress can declare war in different ways.
The last "officially" declared war was WWII, I believe.
"While the AUMF did not officially declare war, the legislation provided the President with more authority upon which to exercise his constitutional powers as Commander in Chief."
http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/commander_in_chief_powers