U.S. Senate passes ‘indefinite detention’ bill

Glenn Greenwald writes: Condemnation of President Obama is intense, and growing, as a result of his announced intent to sign into law the indefinite detention bill embedded in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). These denunciations come not only from the nation’s leading civil liberties and human rights groups, but also from the pro-Obama New York Times Editorial Page, which today has a scathing Editorial describing Obama’s stance as “a complete political cave-in, one that reinforces the impression of a fumbling presidency” and lamenting that “the bill has so many other objectionable aspects that we can’t go into them all,” as well as from vocal Obama supporters such as Andrew Sullivan, who wrote yesterday that this episode is “another sign that his campaign pledge to be vigilant about civil liberties in the war on terror was a lie.” In damage control mode, White-House-allied groups are now trying to ride to the rescue with attacks on the ACLU and dismissive belittling of the bill’s dangers.

For that reason, it is very worthwhile to briefly examine — and debunk — the three principal myths being spread by supporters of this bill, and to do so very simply: by citing the relevant provisions of the bill, as well as the relevant passages of the original 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF), so that everyone can judge for themselves what this bill actually includes (this is all above and beyond the evidence I assembled in writing about this bill yesterday): [Continue reading…]

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2 thoughts on “U.S. Senate passes ‘indefinite detention’ bill

  1. DE Teodoru

    Did anyone ever think that Obama has any “Constitutional Principles?” NONE!!!

    He was annointed to be Ted Kennedy’s stand-in puppet-president, with Ted pulling the strings. But Ted died and Obama ran to Bill “Dirty” Clinton for guidance and personnel. Obama is the best case ever made for Affirmative Action: had he not gone to the best schools because of his color he might well have become an even deadlier Chicago drug kingpin, killing kids with dope and shooting adults trying to stop him, instead of s President only killing Muslims and everyone else’s civil rights. This man has not one moral calcification in his spine whatever, just like a snake. As Rev. Wright said when Obama broke with him: “Obama does his thing based on what’s best for him and I do mine.” Note the shrugging “anything goes” attitude that the best educational Affirmative Action could teach him. He KNOWS this bill is unconstitutional but, hey, if its good for ” Obama rules,” it’s got to be good– it’ll be the same with the pipeline cutting America in two!

    But I will vote for this no morals or principles or dignity man, Obama, because he at least is not crazy and his spine can at least be bent every which way based on pragmatic arguments while ALL the Republican candidates DO NOT WANT TO BE PRESIDENT, they just want to look like moral hardasses so AFTER the election they can always get rich with direct mailing scams a la Newt. If one of them ever makes it to the top he’ll be like Bush: if you don’t know what to do to get re-elected, start a war because Americans have this thing about changing horses in mid-stream. Why do you think Obama postponed ending the Afghan War from 2011 to 2014?

    We ae leaving our children an equal leadership opportunity for scum America. Sorry kids, your dad was a dumb asshole who never saw it coming!

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