Graham To Obama: Global War On Terror Isn’t Over

[ProSense]

Graham To Obama: Global War On Terror Isn’t Over

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a frequent critic of the Obama administration on foreign policy, took issue with President Barack Obama's speech Thursday in which he argued that global war on terror must come to an end.

"The theme of the speech was that this war is winding down," Graham said at a press conference in Washington. "The justification is that we destroyed [al Qaeda's] leadership and were relentless in our pursuit of terrorism -- that is not true. The enemy is morphing and spreading, there are more theaters of conflict today than in several years, and our policy toward Syria and Iraq, indecision about leaving troops in Afghanistan, is creating instability."

He added: "Our allies are more afraid than I have ever seen. I support the concepts that the president talked about in many ways, but if he does not change his policy, the Middle East is going to blow up and we are going to hit again here at home to matter how hard we try."

In a historic speech at National Defense University, Obama argued that it was time to bring to a close a post-9/11 era marked by expanded counterterrorism efforts in favor of a more narrow and "targeted" role abroad.

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http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/graham-global-war-on-terror-isnt-over

President Obama: Congress briefed on all drone strikes; supports additional oversight
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022891534

President Obama: Repeal the AUFM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022891567

Obama on Gitmo: will appoint senior envoy, restart transfers, call on Congress to lift restrictions
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022891615

[NYC_SKP]

1. Graham and his ilk and their corporate owners depend upon a constant state of fear and war.

Of course we all know this.

No hope dopes.

[ProSense]

2. The Republicans'

"Graham and his ilk and their corporate owners depend upon a constant state of fear and war."

...scamdal-mongering was likely to overshadow this speech.

A lot of people weren't expecting the President to address these policies in such detail.

I suspect some don't want to hear it because they want endless war, and others simply want to have these issues to fan the anti-Obama flame.

How often have there been calls to repeal the AUMF? President Obama started his first term determined to close Gitmo. He has now laid out the steps to restart that process despite Congressional restrictions.

These are excellent developments. The one new thing I learned today was about the drone strikes.

For this reason, I’ve insisted on strong oversight of all lethal action. After I took office, my Administration began briefing all strikes outside of Iraq and Afghanistan to the appropriate committees of Congress. Let me repeat that – not only did Congress authorize the use of force, it is briefed on every strike that America takes. That includes the one instance when we targeted an American citizen: Anwar Awlaki, the chief of external operations for AQAP.

<...>

Going forward, I have asked my Administration to review proposals to extend oversight of lethal actions outside of warzones that go beyond our reporting to Congress. Each option has virtues in theory, but poses difficulties in practice. For example, the establishment of a special court to evaluate and authorize lethal action has the benefit of bringing a third branch of government into the process, but raises serious constitutional issues about presidential and judicial authority. Another idea that’s been suggested – the establishment of an independent oversight board in the executive branch – avoids those problems, but may introduce a layer of bureaucracy into national-security decision-making, without inspiring additional public confidence in the process. Despite these challenges, I look forward to actively engaging Congress to explore these – and other – options for increased oversight.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022891534

One got the impression that these strikes were being carried out in complete secrecy by the executive branch.