Lindsey Graham prods Gates to make SOFA agreement without consent of Congress
By John Amato Thursday Apr 10, 2008 4:00pm
Well, BushCo. and his little helpers will never change. As you know, Bush is trying to make an agreement with the Maliki government to keep our troops and the Black Water's of Paul Bremerland active in Iraq after the 2002 UN resolution ends in December. Separation of Powers and all that good jazz means little to Cheney or Bush who only care about executive power so they're trying to forge a SOFA agreement without the consent of Congress. Notice at the end of the clip he calls it a "standard SOFA." There is nothing "standard about the Iraq war, "my friends."
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Lindsey Graham, John McCain's puppet does what he's told...
Instead, U.S. military intervention is authorized under the second prong of the 2002 resolution. This authorizes the president to "enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq." This has allowed the Bush administration to satisfy American law by obtaining a series of resolutions authorizing the United States to serve as the head of the multinational force in Iraq.
But here's the rub. The most recent U.N. resolution expires on Dec. 31, and the administration has announced that it will not seek one for 2009. Instead, it is now negotiating a bilateral agreement with the Iraqi government to replace the U.N. mandate.
Whatever this agreement contains, it will not fill the legal vacuum. That's because the administration is not planning to submit this new agreement to Congress for its explicit approval. Since the Constitution gives the power to "declare war" to Congress, the president can't ignore the conditions imposed on him in 2002 without returning for a new grant of authority. He cannot substitute the consent of the Iraqi government for the consent of the U.S. Congress.
But of course Bush (and John McCain!) want a permanent American military presence in Iraq, but they know congress won't authorize such a presence. Hence, the only solution available to them is to ignore the law and the constitution and just keep the troops. Ackerman and Hathaway suggest merely continuing the U.N. resolution for another year, which will give the next president a legal basis for doing whatever he's been granted a mandate to do (since no matter who wins the troops can't be made to suddenly vanish in a puff of smoke in January). But, obviously, for that to happen the administration would need to concede that it lacks the legal and constitutional authority to ignore congress and they'll never do that.
Hillary Clinton did a good job of exposing this problem in her questions at the hearing also.
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Q U E S T I O N:
What kind of Democratic Republic do we have when our elected Congress argue the merits to being usurped by the Administration?
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This is scary shit. They want to stay forever. Gates doesn't appear to like where this is going (uncharted, illegal territory, in a sugar-coated pill, the *stupid American people can swallow neatly), but he knows the cabal is very persuasive.
I want to see what happens when the Iraqis order the US out, and they refuse to go. All pretenses will be shot in the ass at that point, and Premier Boosh will be out of excuses.
QUEEN LINDSEY GRAHAM
Wow! This is getting NUTS! Does anybody in DC even know what the Constitution of the United States is about? Have any of them ever READ it? I think that it's our duty to send each of our reps in DC a copy of the constitution. Maybe when they are inundated with thousands of copies, they just might get it through their thick skulls that we think this "G#%amn piece of paper" is pretty important. I think that we need to keep sending them until the Constitution is actually mentioned once in a while in DC.
My God, This is insane. I hope the people who elected Graham realize what they have done. Or are they as braindead like the 28% who approve of Bush?
QUEEN LINDSEY GRAHAM! @ 4:
Isn't he a Georgia Peach?
SOFA agreements make the country that's being occupied by the US army pay for that privilege. Japan, which has been occupied for over 60 years now is actually paying the US army to stay there. They also have pretty well no jurisdiction over crimes that US soldiers do in their country. There was a famous case a few years back where 3 US soldiers kidnapped and raped a 12 year old girl. Yes 12 years old. The army refused to turn those soldiers over to Japan for trial. They were spirited out of the country. The commanding general at the time made a joke about it. "They could have each had a prostitute for the money it cost them to rent a car". The US army is very callous about the crimes that it's soldiers do. And Japan is PAYING for the "protection".
Bush and his minions call this Iraq disaster a "war". The U.S. should never be engaged in a war that does not have Congress as the treaty or deal maker. Graham is totally out of line to have the executive usurp the province of the Congress. What possible benefit could there be to our country to circumvent our Constitutionally based governmental structure?
P.D. @ 6:
Well, being a frequent visitor to SC, there are indeed a lot of weird people there.... especially the ones who don't see Grahams' obvious gay mannerisms. Polite society in both Carolinas forbid anyone saying anything aloud or in public... privately another matter. His orientation is not an issue, just the hypocrisy behind it that the Repubs wallow in...
Being a GA boy myself we noticed that, girly-boys, as we called them , were more apt to come from the Carolinas and Virginia. Never was sure why but we always figured they came from wealthy families, who could get away with anything and adopted a privileged attitude toward all others.
Funny to see it all playing out after all these years (don't ask, I ain't telling).
What's most frightening is that when the new president is sworn in in January, they will certainly not relinquish the lion's share of executive power that the current administration has amassed. Democrat or Republican, neither party is going to be willing to give up that degree of autonomy, that level of unchecked authority, when it's their guy in the chair.
If it's McCain, there will be speeches and statements about stability of government in difficult economic and political times, about maintaining authority in wartime, etc, etc.
If it's Clinton or Obama, there will be speeches about the authority and vision needed to clean up the mess of the last eight years.
Neither side is going to effectively correct this mess.
What does SOFA stand for? My Grandma isn't here anymore.
I don't why so many people dislike senator Lindsey graham.
when he was 22, both of his parents die one year apart and adopted his 12 year old sister so that she wouldn't be put into foster care.
he join the military as a young man and got a degree in law.
he is against torture, believe in the rule of law, and is the only sitting united states senator serving in Iraq.
he recently did two round of military duty while he was in Iraq.
this is a man of integrity. how many of you had or currently serving in Iraq?
This is today's GOP in a nutshell: party above everything- even the historic privileges and prerogatives of Congress, especially the Senate. Anybody who has read Robert Caro's "Master of the Senate" knows how throughout its history, that house has jealously guarded its powers and privileges against all presidents of whatever party. That is, until now, when the GOP is so cravenly beholden to the White House that it will trash every tradition and give away every privilege and prerogative and make itself a rubber stamp of the president. This is unprecedented in history. Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Henry Cabot Lodge, William Borah, Carl Hayden and Richard Russell should all rise out of their graves and strangle Graham and every other GOPer for what they have done to Congress.
Now's not the time for Congress to get in the way with all its politicized bureaucracy, We are at a turning point and the pols need to get out of the way.
boxerfan @ 13:
screw the frog!
Queen Lindsay? I thought he was the King. You know, as in SOFA King Creepy.
Orangutan. @ 12:
Status Of Forces Agreement. It spells out how much the army is going to fuck over the country it's occupying.
Graham is an immoral slime sucking sycophant. He needs to die a painful death and go to hell!
This is a perfect encapsulation of the problem with the former Republican Congress. I repeatedly gave away it's powers, ignored its responsibilities, and rendered itself meaningless-- all to support the President.
I don't know that we've ever seen a Congress like that Republican one. They didn't function as a co-equal branch of the government at all, but rather as servile party members. They never functioned as a check on Executive power-- they seemed to think their job was to enable and assist the Executive Branch.
Paul @ 3:
They will do what they always do, remember Viet Nam? When the goverment didn't do what we wanted, we had it eliminated. Puppet goverments don't stay in power, if they say no to us.
As long as there is money to be made by private industry, we will be there until it's all gone.
well, well! Here's a clear constitutional violation!
Impeachment needs to be on the table.
and the next president needs to set adise the agreement, just like boosh set aside agreements made by congress during the clinton administration; just like raygun set aside agreements made by congress during the carter administration
there seems to be a pattern
you going to let them keep crossing lines? just saying ok everytime they walk over one? we better organize and quick.... and stop this
Dave @ 18:
Thanks.
Bush's SOFA, or status of forces agreement, will give US forces the right to continue fighting and grant immunity to private companies in Iraq, such as Blackwater. It's not just an unconstitutional end-run around Congress. It's also a license to do whatever in Iraq without consequences.
boxerfan @ 13:
I have absolutely no ideal what the hell you are talking about as to Lindsey G. being
"the only sitting united states senator serving in Iraq". As to his two rounds of military
service while in Iraq, well I do remember those two occassion...going w/LIEberman and
with McCain to the market places and ripping off the merchants by purchasing rugs
at a HUGE discount. That is the only service that prick has done as to being in Iraq.
Now, give me some facts to back up your idiotic assertions above...
Weaseldog @ 7:
No
More like a South Carolina fruit cake ..........
MCMetal @ 28:
Can we stick to the merits? Throwing around 7th grade gay smears is pretty stupid, especially given how horrible this douche is on the issues...
Doggiebobo @ 27:
Here is the information:
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2778147n
Even if you disagree with him politically as I do (i am a huge Barbara boxer fan) that shouldn't stop you from respecting his decision to serve his country in Iraq.
At least this man walk the talk unlike Bush (draft dodger), Cheney (5 deferment) and the whole republican clans who had never serve in their whole entire life.
What I mean by the only sitting US senator serving in Iraq is that while he is still serving in Office, he is willing to risk his life to do rounds of duties in Iraq.
Political disagreement shouldn't stop you from respecting a person who is willing to risk their life for their country.
what had you do for your country? Arguing on a blog? This man may be a supporter of the occupation of Iraq but he is willing to go over there and fight in it too.
that alone should gain some respect for him even if you dislike him.
Don't you remember him a while back defending the criminals at gitmo, and how they had the right to council? Didn't you see him working with liberals and progressive senators to establish a better USA?
Graham arguing for rights of gitmo prisoners:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWNsFYaDYdM
Graham working with Feingold on Health Care:
http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/releases/07/04/20070425.html
Chimpy is bound and determined to pass his mess off to the next president, and the Republicans in Congress are helping him to make it happen!
A perfect Pavlovs dog moment, spin a lie,slap him out of it.to boxer fan @13---your full of shit, during the first gulf war he served stateside as judge advocate and now is a law teacher in jag Stateside not Iraq. I would be suprized if he has ever heard a gunshot off of the range. Serving with a combat unit is just not the same as teaching a law class even with the dangers of paper cuts,copier breakdowns, flickering overhead lights and crowded lunchrooms, pull your head out into the light and then go wash your hair!
Un-American piece of filth.
"the only thing getting in the way of us winning in iraq is congress" _L Graham
JERK OFF.
Hey John....SOFA stands for "Status of Forces Agreement". Saying "SOFA Agreement" is like saying "QUEUE Line"......
pinot drnkr @ 10:
Yea, no "girly-boys" in Atlanta to speak of!
Pure sophistry.
{{{25 Orangutan. Says: Dave @ 18:
Orangutan. @ 12:
What does SOFA stand for? My Grandma isn’t here anymore.
Status Of Forces Agreement. It spells out how much the army is going to fuck over the country it’s occupying.
Thanks.
==========================
They have it here in Korea. It means something like this:
Drunken 19 year old G.I. rapes Korean girl. US army whisks him the hell outta here, pronto, on a midnight flight. They pollute their bases and the groundwater around them with impunity. They tacitly indicate to the Koreans STFU.
{{{10 pinot drnkr Says}}}: P.D. @ 6:
Well, being a frequent visitor to SC, there are indeed a lot of weird people there…. especially the ones who don’t see Grahams’ obvious gay mannerisms. Polite society in both Carolinas forbid anyone saying anything aloud or in public… privately another matter. His orientation is not an issue, just the hypocrisy behind it that the Repubs wallow in…
Being a GA boy myself we noticed that, girly-boys, as we called them , were more apt to come from the Carolinas and Virginia. Never was sure why but we always figured they came from wealthy families, who could get away with anything and adopted a privileged attitude toward all others.
Funny to see it all playing out after all these years (don’t ask, I ain’t telling).
===============================
NIMBY. Not in my backyard: No-o-o sir-eeee. Everything "bad" came from "over there". I'll bet they have more terrorists in the Carolinas too. This works on a global scale, just as well. (See China, see Isalamofascism, see... )
boxerfan,
being a member of the military is not the same as "serving in Iraq". He is a reservist and a JAG. When he dresses up to play army with his buddies on the weekends, he fills the role of judge in a military court. He will NEVER and has NEVER served in Iraq. He has been a member of the reserves longer than this war has been going on, so it's not like he signed up intending to go fight in iraq. he never intended to go fight anywhere for anything outside of a courtroom. When do you think Graham did "rounds of duties in Iraq?" Are you swallowing up so much propaganda that you can't keep things straight in your head anymore, or are you just making shit up?
On the torture issue, he says admirable things sometimes, but not that often. he mostly just says things about torture that one would expect from a decent human, not a valiant champion of human rights. He's never out in front on the issue. More often he just votes with the republicans, or doesn't vote at all. If he is so against torture, why didn't he vote in favor of the recent bill that would ban the CIA from torturing people? Seems like that would be something a person opposed to torture would vote for. Of course, McCain voted against the torture ban. Look for Graham the lapdog to follow McCain down the path of voting in favor of torture in the future.
The above [at 39], is exactly how I feel about folks huddled under flags (or brightly coloured rags, as I think of them.) Nothing bad here. No-o-o sir-eee.
to boxer dan@30 respect is earned, and not by talking big talk from the back of a limo or while 150 real troops with air cover protect their ass while they prance around head to toe in body armor. No one gets their news from cbs (corp,bullshit service) unless they are looking for something to laugh at, and by the way I didn't see you there.
to navy@40 Is that what is meant by dressing in jag? sorry couldn't help it.
boxerfan @ 30:
Again, not sure what you mean by "fighting"? If going to the marketplace with armored
vest on, and a hundred or so soldiers protecting, with helicopter flying overhead, so that
he could "shop" at a market, is considering fighting, then I guess we just have different
definitions.
I'm toooo old to do any military service right now, but to answer your question, I did enlist during the Korean Conflict and served 2 years in the 2nd Division, tho not actually
in combat conditions, I did wear the uniform with honor and did serve my country in a time of need.
Paul @ 3:
Both democratic candidates should make it clear, that any further attempts buy this crimial administration to perpetuate their illegal and immoral policies beyond January 2009 will not be tolerated or honored! It should be part of their campaigns!
Frybread @ 31:
And when the incompetent idiot leaves office, the Orwellean right-wing will leave it to their corporate media to begin rewriting history - and drop the entire issue down the memory hole of foreign policy.
Before it's over, Rush, Hannity, Beck and the rest of the fascist propoganda arm, will have the moron's believing that Iraq attacked Fundamentalist church groups in the U.S. of A! Completely funded by gay, secular-progressive terrorist lover's in San Francisco.
Will they succeed this time?
What an pansy asshole
This is a snapshot of how imperialism works. This is how you circumvent the rule of law and the wil of the people and frame it as protecting the troops. That and the Senate reader (MSM) stands on his perch and tells the plebians that Roman soldiers need to stay in North Africa for the betterment of the Republic.
Just another day in the Republic.
lindsey graham to the American citizens"
"bend over and let us grease you up one
by one or if you prefer we will just
continue to dry-hump you as we have
in the past."
I am repeating myself but damn I would love to knock the grin right off this friggin little weasel .
Linsie Linsie Linsie Glam
When he opens his mouth, out comes Spam.
He's got a brown ring on the end of his nose
Behind McSame in a suckup pose.
Bush's promoter in PA charged with male rape
http://www.bartcop.com/
"CARLISLE, Pa. -- A police search warrant document details lurid allegations of male prostitution
and secret sex tapings at a former Cumberland County commissioner's home. Bruce Barclay resigned
last week after officials confirmed that a male had accused him of rape.
Police said Bruce Barclay told them he recorded as many as 500 sexual encounters and that subjects
were not aware they were being taped. Cameras were secreted inside radios, motion detectors and
intercom speakers, according to a search warrant affidavit.
These days, it's tough to find a straight Republican man.
With that Texas GOP Rape Farm in the news, it makes me wonder if
those stories about the GOP and the child sex ring in the eighties weren't true."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,349412,00.html
Paul @ 3:
At this point, he will say, "So?"
QUEEN LINDSEY GRAHAM! @ 4:
Soon to be nominated to the Supreme Court to strike down any gay oriented or related case that comes before it! Hooray!
Q U E S T I O N:
What kind of Democratic Republic do we have when our elected Congress argue the merits to being usurped by the Administration?
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A fraud.
#30 Boxerfan -- You need to be a little more background research. Lindsey Graham is a JAG lawyer. Traditionally speaking, JAG units are not on the "front line" by any stretch of the imagination. If Graham were "fighting" in Iraq, he would be in the Infantry or in a Stryker Brigade -- not a JAG attorney. By the way, do you have corroboration that he actually performed his 2 weeks of ADT as a reservist in Iraq? I find that difficult to believe that a reservist doing 2 weeks of ADT would be sent to a war zone. He might be sent to a CONUS post or to the Pentagon, but to a combat zone? I don't think so.
Oh, and yes, I am an Army veteran -- Vietnam Era.
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