By Steve Hynd
Adam Serwer has the rundown on a new move to give Obama and future presidents an authorization to wage perpetual war. But you won't find a new AUMF on the Congressional agenda - it's being quietly "tucked away in the chairman's mark of a national defense authorization act as section 1034 of the bill".
Contained in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2012 is a new authorization to use military force that would grant the executive branch the power to "address the continuing and evolving threat posed by these groups." In practice, that means the president could use military force against any suspected terrorist across the globe -- indefinitely.
The Pentagon's spokesman says that the new law is a result of "extensive conversations" between the Obama administration and Republicans. Some of the worst provisions - including provisions for even citizens arrested for suspected terrorism to be automatically subject to military detention - have been stripped out but not explicitly banned, leaving vast gaps through which Obama or a future president could walk according to Chris Anders, an attorney for the ACLU.
"This is a time when I think most Americans are thinking about how to wind down our commitments to the two wars that are out there," says Anders. "This would be declaring a new worldwide war without any limitations by time, geography, or national interest."
With bipartisan backing, a declaration of Forever War slipped into a bill like a thief in the night will probably pass - and forever more both Republicans and Democrats will be able to say that the other party backed such a travesty of representative democracy too.
Can someone provide the actual language of this provision?
ReplyDeleteHere's the ACLU's "Comparison of 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) and Proposed Expanded, Indefinite AUMF (H.R. 968, Section 7)" in PDF. I think that's as close are you're going to find, Dr. K, since its an amendment to and extension of the 2001 wording.
ReplyDeleteRegards, Steve