ABC News: Suicide Bomb Teams Sent to U.S.

[Hart2008]

"The tape shows Taliban military commander Mansoor Dadullah, whose brother was killed by the U.S. last month, introducing and congratulating each team as they stood.

"These Americans, Canadians, British and Germans come here to Afghanistan from faraway places," Dadullah says on the tape. "Why shouldn't we go after them?""

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/06/exclusive_suici.html

So much for "We are fighting them there so we don't have to fight them here."

[Laura PourMeADrink]

1. Gary Hart? I love him. nt

[Hart2008]

4. Gary Hart has not declared yet, but hasn't ruled out running either.

Same as Gore and Clark.

He is presently the chairman of The American Security Project:

"Letter from The Honorable Gary Hart

The American Security Project has been created to develop a national security vision and strategy for the twenty-first century, building on America’s strengths, restoring its international leadership, and seeking solutions to the new realities of the 21st century before they become crises.

American national security policy is adrift. In the five years since the attacks of 9/11, the United States has toppled autocratic regimes, cast-aside collective security alliances, put its military into the field, expanded its covert battle against terrorists, and simultaneously lost its moral standing in much of the world. While American activism has not always met with approval in the international community, there once was a time when American action made us stronger. Today, however, anti-Americanism is fueled by actions that are seen as diversions from America’s historic path, accepted standards of international behavior, and common sense.

The issue at hand is the appropriate purpose and use of American power. Where the United States has needed strategy, we have been offered tactics. There has been little development of grand strategic thought since the end of the Cold War.

The so-called “war on terror” has dominated every discussion of national security since September 11, 2001. But the war-paradigm—while convenient for political mobilization—is dangerously imprecise and counterproductive in the fight against extremists. The American Security Project seeks to clarify the nature of the struggle the United States faces against violent-extremists in order to produce more effective policies and strategies to meet the threat..."

http://www.americansecurityproject.org/about

:patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot:

[tanyev]

2. Well, that might bring the troops home awfully quick.

[RogueSpirit]

5. Dunno about that...

I am not sure how this would shake out. The Posse Comitatus Act would disallow the military to operate like that. I may be speaking out of my ass, but I believe that unless the fighters in the vests are declared enemy combatants, then the Military cannot intervene. It would be a law enforcement issue.

Of course, the flip side of this is that we do get a couple of fighters take out a few shopping malls, and then they are either declared a named enemy or a vote come up to repeal the Posse Comitatus Act. This would allow the gov't to militarize the border, as well as be deployed as an active presence in public areas, which may be the master plan.

[Hart2008]

6. Does the "Unitary Executive Branch" recognize the Posse Comitatus Act? n/t

[RogueSpirit]

7. that's the question...

The military exceptions to the act is the national guard and the Coast Guard.

IIRC, the insurrection act can supersede the Posse Comitatus Act at the will of the POTUS. The question though is would the fighters be Americans or foreign nationals? If they are Americans, then their actions could be considered Insurrection and that would hand law enforcement powers to the president, if they are foreign nationals, then it becomes a national defense issue. The Executive branch could get a LOT more power if the fighters were found to be foreign. A national security issues would allow for internment camps, true domestic military presence etc.

On Edit: insurrection would allow the executive branch to put down rebellion. That would mean ANYONE could be considered a rebel.

[tanyev]

8. Not saying they would be able to do much, but I think the American people

would really freak out if they thought we were under attack here with most of our troops stuck in Iraq.

[MadMaddie]

3. This was predictable by everyone in the world except the

US administration....and they are probably here...with the negligent way that this administration has created the TSA and messed up border security....