Since I have been complaining about Obama a lot lately I am happy to be able to say something good about him. He has just announced several things about the "war on terror", a title he doesn't like, that indicate that he considers the war part to be over and that in the future we will treat it like common crimes. (I think that he has already done that too much of the time.) I will talk more about the particulars later.
Here I just want to say that we have been warned by everyone from James Madison to George Orwell about the dangers to a republic of perpetual warfare. I agree with them and with Obama that we should, at some point, mark an end to any conflict. Perhaps another terror organization will arise that requires a state of war to deal with it, but as for Al Queda lets call it done.
Removal of the “war” label will also remove any rational for the use of war time powers by the Executive branch. For a President to ask to have powers reduced is like cold water in the face.
ReplyDeleteI also found the call for legislation on the use of drones to attach terrorists interesting. The call was framed as legislation to address this new technology. How we get the bomb to the target is new but a drone is still a bomb and that is not new, nor are the rules regarding killing with bombs.