A boundless imperial presidency
Posted by Richard on March 6, 2013
I feel like I’ve been transported to an alternate universe. Sen. Rand Paul asked Obama administration officials repeatedly over a period of weeks whether “the President has the power to authorize the use of lethal force, such as a drone strike, against a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil, and without trial.” After stonewalling for weeks, they finally responded by saying essentially that they haven’t assassinated anyone yet, they currently have no plans to do so, but they might in the future if an American posed, in the President’s judgment, an “imminent threat.”
AG Eric Holder maintained that “[a]s a policy matter” the administration rejects the use of military force against Americans on US soil when it isn’t necessary, and rejected Sen. Paul’s question as “entirely hypothetical.” In other words, they think the President has the authority to order Hellfire missile strikes on Americans in the United States if he decides it’s necessary.
Sen. Paul is filibustering the nomination of John Brennan as CIA Director. He offered to end his filibuster if the Obama administration submitted a clear, concise statement outlining its position regarding the President’s authority and the legal basis for its position. No response. Earlier this evening, he offered to end his filibuster if the Senate by unanimous consent suspended the rules and voted on a “sense of the Senate” resolution declaring that the President may not use drones to assassinate Americans on US soil who don’t pose an imminent threat. Sen. Dick Durbin (who during a previous administration compared the guards at Gitmo to Nazis, Stalinists, and the Khmer Rouge) objected. Senate Democrats refuse to say that killing Americans on US soil who pose no threat is wrong; in fact, they refuse to go on record one way or the other on the question.
Does that sound like we’re still a free people? Does that sound like we still have the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Does that sound like we’re still a government of laws and not of men?
I fear for my country. The spirit of Hugo Chavez is alive and well in Washington, D.C.
I can only hope that the outrage over this assertion of unlimited Presidential power and the support for Sen. Paul continue to grow and have significant and lasting effects. I #StandWithRand.
And I may have to go ahead and buy an AR-15 now, regardless of price.
UPDATE: As of 11:20 PM (MT), the top trend on Twitter is no longer #StandWithRand (it had been for much of the day). It’s dropped to second — behind Sen. Rand Paul and just ahead of #filibuster.
Rick Shultz said
I already bought a rifle a few weeks back as it was beginning to look as though I might need one. I couldn’t buy an AR-15 because I live on disability and there’s no way I could ever afford one. What I got was a small caliber Mossberg bolt gun equipped with with a sniper grade Simmons scope. I’ve always contended anyway, and I still do, that it’s the Indian and not the arrow, so I bought what works for me that I could actually pay for. And Richard, you are perfectly correct in saying it appears this country is no longer free. In fact, I would go much further back in history and question whether it has actually been anywhere close to free since 1860. I sincerely wish you good luck and a good aim. It’s looking more and more as though we may all need both.