At this point, I think the president should just go ahead and veto the Defense Appropriations Act until it no longer contains language that prevents him from closing Gitmo. If he doesn’t, I’m not sure special envoys can be successful.
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BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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Well, he wants to close Gitmo, but he doesn’t want to spend the effort of a real knock-down-drag-out fight to do it.
How is getting a veto overridden by a blowout over and over again supposed to get the Gitmo language removed?
I wish it was that easy. I think he has to jump through a million hoops and hold Congress’s little handsies for years on end until the moment is ready and he can coax the votes, the way he did with DADT repeal.
He can always do what Jan Brewer did. Granted it would be less effective because this Congress isn’t going to pass anything besides a budget anyway. But Jan Brewer did get the Medicaid expansion passed in AZ.
Well, I’d challenge the Democrats to override my veto. And if they do it, then I’d challenge them again next year.
And when they do?
This sounds like a publicity stunt, not a strategy.
Look, this is entirely a hypothetical, since Obama won’t follow Boo’s advice because he has, and probably never will, actually stand up to anyone with any power.
But there’s no guarantee that his veto would be overridden. Yes, the Senate is the Chamber of Wimps but 2/3rd is a lot harder to achieve than 60%. But the real test is in he House. Yes, gerrymandering has given the GOP a House majority with a minority of the popular vote, but that means that the large majority of the House Democrats have VERY SAFE SEATS. We’ve never seen what it would take to get a 60% majority in the House, much less 67%. And there are a lot of Democrats whose identity is basically tied closely to Obama.
As I said, totally hypothetical – no way Obama has the guts to actually do this. But if he did, well, talk about your 2nd term game-changers.
Aren’t you the guy who told me Obama was never going leave Iraq because he wouldn’t stand up to the power of the Military Industrial Complex?
The 2012 NDAA passed the Senate by 81-14 and the House by 315-107.
Your little gut check about how much you hate Obama aside – I guess you’re just a whole lot braver than he is, as you keep telling us in your internet comments – there’s a political reality here: the defense bill is a must-pass bill that reflects a long process in Congress.
A special envoy to whom? Congress?
It’s one position at the State Department and one at the Pentagon, with special responsibility to facilitate the closure of Gitmo. The article refers to them as envoys.
That would take guts and leadership. His whole political career is based on compromise, consensus and finding the middle ground.
OT: Word is over 80 arrested an probably 2,000 attended today’s #Moralmonday protest in Raleigh!
Thought you folks would like to know.
What was the protest about?
ongoing NC protest vs Koch / .1% takeover of state
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/17/1216387/-N-C-Moral-Monday-Wave-7-est-84-arrested-tonight-to
tal-arrests-now-485
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/17/1216707/-Daily-Kos-Elections-Morning-Digest-How-Art-Pope-ki
lled-public-funding-for-judicial-elections-in-NC
Hmm, what is the status of the Koch takeover?
well the reports at the Orange Place are pretty depressing – which is where I’m following it. Good to have Tarheel Dem’s report. He warned about this a couple years ago with the takeover of the school boards
here’s another
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/16/1216660/-Reinstating-the-Death-Penalty-in-NC
we do. please keep us posted
I have a good friend who was arrested last week. I know she was there again yesterday but I haven’t heard from her yet today.
US Constitution Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;
or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.Has he ever vetoed anything? Okay, one continuing appropriations bill in 2009, and the Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act of 2010. You have to go back to James Garfield for the last guy with fewer vetoes, and he was only President for 6 months.
Has the Congress passed a bill of any consequence since 2011?
What is this all about anyway? http://linkapp.me/s4RNw