Posted on 09/30/2006 5:11:34 AM PDT by Ready4Freddy
WASHINGTON
With the final passage through Congress of the detainee treatment bill, President Bush on Friday achieved a signal victory, shoring up with legislation his determined conduct of the campaign against terrorism in the face of challenges from critics and the courts.
Rather than reining in the formidable presidential powers Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have asserted since Sept. 11, 2001, the law gives some of those powers a solid statutory foundation. In effect it allows the president to identify enemies, imprison them indefinitely and interrogate them — albeit with a ban on the harshest treatment — beyond the reach of the full court reviews traditionally afforded criminal defendants and ordinary prisoners.
Taken as a whole, the law will give the president more power over terrorism suspects than he had before the Supreme Court decision this summer in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld that undercut more than four years of White House policy. It does, however, grant detainees brought before military commissions limited protections initially opposed by the White House. The bill, which cleared a final procedural hurdle in the House on Friday and is likely to be signed into law next week by Mr. Bush, does not just allow the president to determine the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions; it also strips the courts of jurisdiction to hear challenges to his interpretation.
And it broadens the definition of “unlawful enemy combatant” to include not only those who fight the United States but also those who have “purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States.” The latter group could include those accused of providing financial or other indirect support to terrorists, human rights groups say. The designation can be made by any “competent tribunal” created by the president or secretary of defense.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
..it also strips the courts of jurisdiction to hear challenges to his interpretation.
Can they be sweating?
so what...this is what SCOTUS intended to have done...have congress pass a law...even with the lib/dems on the court this bill will hold under court scrutiny!
the lib/dems would prefer that the US just give these terrorists the same rights that they give criminal perps...screw the victims and screw american citizens and US troops... according to lib/dems we have to insure that the people that want to kill us/maim us with suicide bombs/blow up our buildings/cut off heads have every right under the constitution!
it really stops to make one wonder what side lib/dems are on?
It reaffirms Presidential Power... not shifting it to him! Sheesh!
LLS
Graymatter: Can they be sweating?
Nice observation.
Good point.
Didn't the NYT try to spin this as McCain's victory? Changed their mind? LOL
This was one of the pieces of legislation I'm happy about this week.
The NYT and the Dems would prefer that these terrorists be sent to undisclosed prisons in Eastern Europe or the Middle East to be tortured or that they be summarily executed on the battlefield?
"Rather than reining in the formidable presidential powers Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have asserted since Sept. 11, 2001,"
It just pains the Slimes that this bill was passed!
"I vigorously dissent." - Justice Scalia on Hamden. The G.Cs apply to soldiers. Now, one mans Terrorist may be another mans Freedom Fighter but call him what you will a soldier he is not.
"...human rights groups say.." How about America's right to remain secure? These leftist pukes really think that terrorism is not dangerous - fine, just move to Iran and tell the Islamists you are peaceloving, see how long you last.
Giving President Bush the authoity to kill them is pretty much what this was all about. Now the Military Courts can go forward.
Art. II Section. 2. The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States;
As far as identifying enemies, Congress did that, as is their power, twice.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES. (a) IN GENERAL- That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.
107th CONGRESS 2d Session
H. J. RES. 114
October 10, 2002
JOINT RESOLUTION
To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.
...
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES. (a) AUTHORIZATION- The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to-- (1) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq;
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