On New Years Eve, while the majority of Americans were engaging in the revelry that surrounds the holiday, President Obama was quietly signing away Americans civil liberties while at the same time griping about Congress trying to restrict his "counterterrorism policies."
The President's veto threat over the NDAA was never because he worried about Congress giving him the authority to indefinitely detain American citizens, contrary to the administration statement below, both he and the President before him have claimed such authority for themselves. Instead, the President and his advisors threatened a veto because the original wording of the bill would have appeared to create procedural hurdles to doing so.
Senior administration officials told ABC News:
“The president strongly believes that to detain American citizens in military custody infinitely without trial, would be a break with our traditions and values as a nation, and wants to make sure that any type of authorization coming from congress, complies with our Constitution, our rules of war and any applicable laws.”
One official explained that President Obama does believe, however, that American citizens can be temporarily detained, and that the military has the right to capture and hold any citizen who is engaged in conflict against the United States.
So, don't worry. The President will only "temporarily" detain American citizens...
Rep. Amash wrote on his Facebook page:
You know what's amazing? Right up to the vote, high-ranking House Republicans were falsely insisting that the NDAA would not permit the indefinite detention of Americans without charge or trial. Looks like the President has settled that debate.
Indeed, many Congressional officials are still making similar arguments. Last week, I received an email from a member who forwarded his Senators' response on the NDAA. I responded in kind with a point by point rebuttal that should help clear up this issue and with that members' permission I intend to repost it in the next few days for everyone to see.
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