I just posted the bill as it is on THOMAS. It is not yet in .pdf form, but I pasted the excerpted HTML.
Serious business in this legislation. I am very surprised at Inhofe. He has been a straight arrow on all things before.
I would not trust a “Good” President with this power much less the “Resident” of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Thanks for going to the trouble to post the relevant text from the bill. I agree with you. This is both dangerous and stupid on the part of these "sponsors", and I too am completely puzzled why Inhofe would do this.
The dangerous part comes from the fact that we all ought to know by now, from bitter experience, that it doesn't matter a hill of beans what the stated intent or reassurances of those pushing these statist measures are. The only thing that matters is what the actual words on the page will allow if those in power can twist them to other meanings.
If the language allows it, it's a dead certainty they will at some point do it.
The stupid aspect is that it's completely unnecessary. We already had all the authority, legal tools and procedures in place for dealing with enemy combatants (what is the difference between "enemy combatants" and "enemy belligerents" anyway?) under the Geneva Conventions, dating back to WWII. George Bush stupidly caved to the media and Dem pressure over the Guantanamo prisoners and allowed the courts and lawyers to wreck that. And, to top it off, McCain helped them do it. This legislation appears to be nothing more than a clumsy and dangerous attempt to reassert that authority which was foolishly surrendered.