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Victory for Rand Paul (and the Constitution)
This just in from the Washington Examiner:
Attorney General Eric Holder wrote Sen. Rand Paul,R-Ky., to confirm that President Obama does not have the authority to kill an American on U.S. soil in a non-combat situation, Obama’s spokesman announced today.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney quoted from the letter that Holder sent to Paul today. “Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on an American soil,” Holder wrote, per Carney. “The answer is no.”
There, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?
Meanwhile, understandably angry at seeing the Republican Party emerge from its four year defensive crouch–behind Tea Party conservatives no less!– Senators McCain and Graham proferred this mature advice:
McCain, a staunch foreign policy hawk, said Thursday that Paul’s warnings that the U.S. could target “Jane Fonda” or “people in cafes” bring the debate into the “realm of the ridiculous.”
“If Mr. Paul wants to be taken seriously he needs to do more than pull political stunts that fire up impressionable libertarian kids,” McCain said, adding: “I don’t think what happened yesterday is helpful to the American people.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) echoed these criticisms, adding that he was “disappointed” in the 13 Republican Senators who supported Paul’s filibuster last night.
Hopefully, the Republicans can get back to their comfort zone of quietly losing on optics and substance a full 100 percent of the time.
Published in General
“If Mr. Paul wants to be taken seriously he needs to do more than pull political stunts that fire up impressionable libertarian kids,” McCain said”
Can’t let those ‘impressionable libertarian kids’ out from under the guiding hands of the prog-left. Rand Paul is a dangerous ideologue. Or, that is, he is thewrong kind of dangerous ideologue.
#StandDownMcCain
#RetireTheBookEndsMcCainAndGraham
#GrahamWafer
#ThisBudsForYou
Obama said he couldn’t refuse to enforce immigration laws and then decided that he won’t deport children of illegals. Does this assurance really mean anything? I don’t see this as any more compelling than a pinky swear. How do we know that they won’t change their minds in the future?
Guess who Meet the Press and every Sunday show will have on this week?
I Canada, when you say McCain, you mean French Fries.
As you all know, I am a frequent and persistent critic of the Republican Party leadership in Washington. But today I sing the praises of one such leader, Mitch McConnell. Last night, McConnell went from his PR dinner with Obama to the Senate floor to support Paul’s filibuster.
And today he is contrasting his support with the attacks of McCain and Graham:
True. But at least we have the AG on record agreeing to the obvious: targeting Americans in America for military-style execution when they pose no imminent threat is flat-out unconstitutional.
Does Senator McCain (whom I reluctantly supported in 2008) understand why Senator Paul used the example of Americans being killed by drones while dining in outdoor cafés?
Because we’ve done exactly that.
Sorry, Senator. It’s not ridiculous. It’s history.
McCain and Graham should retire and join those other icons of history, Carter and Clinton, for a round of golf.
And here I thought Graham was safe in 2014. This might change things a bit.
You are, undoubtedly, correct, BUT
did the President know, before Senator Paul rose on the floor of the Senate, that a filibuster was about to start? ·1 minute ago
I can’t see how anyone would know, since it was the contemporaneous refusal of Holder and Brennan to categorically rule out military execution of American citizens on American soil that led to the filibuster
However, it is a sweet coincidence that Paul’s educational event last night rained on the otherwise inevitable story about Obama–the Great Conciliator once more– reaching across the aisle in a gesture of friendship. ·23 minutes ago
Precisely!
In the words of ‘Hannibal’, “I love it when a plan comes together!”
In 2010, Arizona Republicans had the chance to nominate J.D. Hayworth instead on John McCain. They chose poorly.
In 2014, S. Carolina Republicans have a chance to choose a candidate other than Lindsey Graham. Let’s hope they do better than Arizona.
In the words of ‘Hannibal’, “I love it when a plan comes together!”
Does Senator McCain (whom I reluctantly supported in 2008) understand why Senator Paul used the example of Americans being killed by drones while dining in outdoor cafés?
Because we’ve done exactly that.
Sorry, Senator. It’s not ridiculous. It’s history. ·7 minutes ago
In the movie version McCain and Graham will be played by Tim Conway and Harvey Korman:
#GangWhoCouldn’tShootStraight.
@Scott, your forbearance is admirable, but I’ve been lied to affirmatively by this administration far too many times already – my credibility account is overdrawn. (As far as the government is concerned, I never keep any more in there than the minimum balance for free checking.) Therefore, there will be no more charitable interpretations of the stuff they say. ·6 hours ago
Thanks, and yes, they lie routinely. And, yes, it’s possible Holder lied on Mar 4, 6, and 7. But if he did, it was in essence the same lie told three different times, which is my point. That’s all.
I thought Holder was as clear as we’ve reasonably come to expect from politicians, right and left — and clear enough that the drama of Mar 7 wasn’t warranted.
So we’ll 1) agree to disagree, and 2) agree to agree. Thx.
“I thought Holder was as clear as we’ve reasonably come to expect from politicians, right and left…”
He’s a politician? Did he run for office?
Even if so, let’s expect more from our politicians.