Imperial Presidency

‘Credibility’

"The US must bomb Syria, we are told, to maintain its 'credibility' on the world stage. I don’t get it. The US government invaded, occupied, and destabilized Afghanistan and Iraq. The US military uses cluster bombs, white phosphorus, and depleted uranium shells, all banned or discouraged by international treaty or convention. The President endorses extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendition, and torture, all prohibited by the Geneva Conventions. The NSA spies on its own citizens, in violation of US law, and denies it until caught. What credibility could the US government possibly have?" Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Credibility’

Senate-crafted Syria resolution riddled with loopholes for Obama

"Senators on Wednesday tried to write a tight resolution authorizing President Obama to strike Syria under very specific circumstances, but analysts and lawmakers said the language still has plenty of holes the White House could use to expand military action well beyond what Congress appears to intend. 'Wiggle room? Plenty of that,' said Louis Fisher, scholar in residence at the Constitution Project and former long-time expert for the Congressional Research Service on separation of powers issues. Mr. Fisher pointed to the 1964 resolution that authorized a limited response to the Gulf of Tonkin, but that ended up being the start of an escalation of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenate-crafted Syria resolution riddled with loopholes for Obama

Florida man cites ‘Bush doctrine’ after pre-emptive killing of neighbors

"Lawyers for a Florida man this week cited President George W. Bush’s pre-emptive war in Iraq and the 'Bush Doctrine' as a defense after their client killed two neighbors and attempted to kill a third on Labor Day. According to officials in Titusville, Woodward had snuck up on his neighbors while they were having a Labor Day barbecue. Police responding to the scene found that Gary Lee Hembree, Roger Picior and Bruce Timothy had all been shot. Hembree and Picior were later pronounced dead. Blake survived, even though he had been hit 11 times. In their motion, Woodward’s attorneys claimed that the victims had called him names and threatened to 'get him.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida man cites ‘Bush doctrine’ after pre-emptive killing of neighbors

David Stockman: The End of U.S. Imperium—Finally!

"Next week Congress can do far more than stop a feckless Tomahawk barrage on a small country that is already a graveyard of civil war and sectarian slaughter. By voting 'no,' it can trigger the end of the American Imperium—five decades of incessant meddling, bullying, and subversion around the globe that has added precious little to national security but left America fiscally exhausted and morally diminished. Indeed, the tragedy of this vast string of misbegotten interventions is that virtually none of them involved defending the homeland or any tangible, steely-eyed linkages to national security. They were all rooted in ideology." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Stockman: The End of U.S. Imperium—Finally!

Heated Rand Paul Vs. John Kerry Debate At Syria Military Action Hearing

"Madison was very explicit. When he wrote the Federalist Papers, he wrote that history supposes, or the Constitution supposes what history demonstrates, that the Executive is the branch most likely to go to war and therefore the Constitution vested that power in the Congress. It's explicit and runs throughout all of Madison's writings. This power is a Congressional power and is not an Executive power. They didn't say big war, small war. They didn't say boots on the ground, not boots on the ground. They said declare war. Ask the people on the ships launching the missiles whether they're involved with war or not." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHeated Rand Paul Vs. John Kerry Debate At Syria Military Action Hearing

Tell Congress: Don’t Attack Syria

"The Administration is considering intervening in the Syrian civil war. We oppose this. There's no vital national security involved. We are not the world’s policeman, nor its judge and jury. Our own needs in America are great, and they come first. The death of civilians is always regrettable, and civil war is regrettable, but no Americans have been attacked, and no American allies have been attacked. The British Parliament understandably has voted not to join in any attack. Notably, defense contractor Raytheon's stock is up 20% in the last 60 days. It seems that nobody wants US intervention in Syria except the military-industrial complex. I oppose US military intervention in Syria. Join me." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTell Congress: Don’t Attack Syria

Does the U.S. Government Have A Right to Bomb Syria?

"An argument is being made that the credibility of the U.S. government is at stake, and that it needs to follow through on the red line threats issued by the government. But if the U.S. has been so foolish as to make threats that might diminish its credibility and harm its capacity for self-defense, it does not follow that it has now gained the privilege or right of making good on its threats. One’s mistakes or threats do not generate rights and privileges. Obama began by making the preceding credibility argument about the U.S. and his own red line threats. He has since extended that invalid argument to the 'international community'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDoes the U.S. Government Have A Right to Bomb Syria?

Selling Syria: White House pleads with Congress for ‘limited’ strikes

"On Tuesday, Secretary of State John Kerry plead his case on why the US should launch limited attacks on Syria in retaliation for Pres. Bashar al-Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons on his own people. According to Kerry, not stepping in would only embolden other countries with weapons of mass destruction, and senators expressed their concerns that getting involved in Syria would only lead to another endless war in the Middle East. Sam Sacks is on Capitol Hill with a summary of the day's events." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSelling Syria: White House pleads with Congress for ‘limited’ strikes

The Syria AUMF: Be Careful What You Vote For

"The draft authorization for the use of military force the administration circulated Saturday is strikingly broad. And if we know anything from the history of past AUMFs, it’s that presidents will push the authority they’re given as far as language will allow—and possibly further. In his Rose Garden press conference Saturday, Obama said 'we would not put boots on the ground.' The action he’s contemplating would be 'limited in duration and scope.' Just a 'shot across the bow”—a light dusting of cruise missiles. The draft AUMF says no such thing." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Syria AUMF: Be Careful What You Vote For

CIA Analyst Michael Scheuer Exposes Syrian War Lobbyists

"Members of al Qaeda are known to be among the rebels being supported by the Obama administration. Like a Mexican standoff, the tragic conflict could go in any direction. Michael Scheuer is a historian and former CIA analyst. For three years, he headed the Osama bin Laden tracking Unit at the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. He is author of the book Imperial Hubris. In 2007, bin Laden said Scheuer's book revealed the reasons behind U.S. losses in the War on Terrorism." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA Analyst Michael Scheuer Exposes Syrian War Lobbyists