This was a vote on an amendment to the Dept of Defense funding bill – President Obama has threatened to veto the bill, at which point they might quietly strip it back out in the middle of night – but it is interesting to see bipartisan agreement.
So why the hell are we involved again?
To justify extending the ominous Patriot ‘Act’ for another four years… by proxy.
3 “key” provisions: wiretaps, investigation of businesses, tracking ‘lone wolves’.
“Because President Barack Obama is traveling in Europe, a White House official said the bill will quickly be signed into law using an autopen, a machine that replicates the president’s signature.”
Frankly, how can that be valid on any piece of legislation? One of the reasons for the Constitutional requirement for a president’s signature on a bill (etc) was to prevent this sort of ‘rule by proxy’. I’d like to see someone challenge this procedure.
Does a remote-piloted Predator aircraft count as “troops”?
No. The amendment is deliberately toothless. It also doesn’t prevent the CIA from doing what it wants – more to the point – does “troops” cover special forces or members of the Navy?