Barbara Lee: Congress must exert meaningful oversight on drones, and repeal AUMF [View all]

[Enrique]

imo this means Democrats, because it's unrealistic to expect this GOP to do anything responsibly

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0209-saturday-drones-obama-20130209,0,7250229.story

The recently leaked Justice Department memo that outlined the overly broad and vague legal boundaries used to justify drone strikes should shake the American people to the core.

While I applaud President Obama for releasing more information to the Senate and House intelligence committees, the root of the problem remains: The administration is using the Authorization for the Use of Military Force passed by the House on Sept. 14, 2001, as one of the justifications for the lethal use of drones. As the only member of Congress who voted against this blank check, I believe now more than ever that we must repeal it.

We need a full debate of the consequences of the September 2001 action, and meaningful oversight by Congress is vital. As commander in chief, it is Obama's duty to keep our country safe, but Congress must not retreat from its constitutional obligation of oversight. These checks and balances are the foundation of our democracy, and they must stay intact.

Rep. Barbara Lee

(D-Oakland)