Paul Ryan’s House Republican budget, and Patty Murray’s Senate Democrat budget, deserve continued scrutiny and debate, because they do definitively display the core beliefs of the two parties on a wide range of issues. That includes crucially taxes, and the foundations of economic growth and prosperity. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
By The Huffington Post News Editors
By Corrie MacLaggan
LEANDER, Texas, Feb 19 (Reuters) – First-term Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas on Tuesday staunchly defended his aggressive, in-your-face style that already is raising eyebrows in Washington and has led a Senate Democrat to suggest his tactics reminded her of McCarthyism.
“Washington has a long tradition of trying to hurl insults to silence those who they don’t like what they’re saying,” Cruz told reporters on a visit to a Texas gun manufacturer. “I have to admit I find it amusing that those in Washington are puzzled when someone actually does what they said they would do.”
Employees at LaRue Tactical near Austin cheered the senator enthusiastically during his appearance.
Cruz, 42, raised eyebrows in Washington by aggressively criticizing former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama’s nominee for defense secretary, during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing.
Cruz angered lawmakers in both parties by suggesting, without giving evidence, that Hagel might have taken money from countries such as communist North Korea.
In comments published in the New York Times on Saturday, Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California compared Cruz’s accusations about Hagel to those made by former Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s in his hunt for communists.
“It was really reminiscent of a different time and place, when you said, ‘I have here in my pocket a speech you made on such and such a date,’ and of course, nothing was in the pocket,” Boxer said, according to the Times. “It was reminiscent of some bad times.”
On Tuesday, Cruz said he worried that his concerns about Hagel – such as what he sees as Hagel’s refusal to answer certain questions about financial disclosure – were getting lost in the focus on Cruz’s style.
“Washington is a rough-and-tumble place, and I certainly don’t mind if some will take shots at me,” said Cruz, who has been unusually assertive for a freshman senator. “What I do think is unfortunate is if the coverage of the political game overshadows the substance.” …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
Robert Gates, a former defense secretary and spymaster, is backing lawmakers’ proposal to form a special court to review President Barack Obama‘s deadly drone strikes against Americans linked to al-Qaida.
Gates, who led the Pentagon for Presidents George W. Bush and Obama and previously served as the Central Intelligence Agency‘s director, said Obama‘s use of the unmanned drones follows tight rules. But he shares lawmakers’ wariness over using the unmanned aircraft to target al-Qaida operatives and allies.
“I think that the rules and the practices that the Obama administration has followed are quite stringent and are not being abused. But who is to say about a future president?” Gates said in an interview broadcast Sunday.
The use of remote-controlled drones — Obama‘s weapon of choice to strike al-Qaida with lethal missiles in places such as Pakistan and Yemen — earned headlines last week as lawmakers contemplated just how much leeway an American president should have in going after the nation’s enemies, including its own citizens.
“We are in a different kind of war. We’re not sending troops. We’re not sending manned bombers. We’re dealing with the enemy where we find them to keep America safe. We have to strike a new constitutional balance with the challenges we face today,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
“The policy is really unfolding. Most of this has not been disclosed,” the second-ranking Senate Democrat added.
The nomination of John Brennan, Obama‘s counterterrorism adviser who oversaw many of the drone strikes from his office in the West Wing basement, kick-started the discussion.
During Thursday‘s hearing, Brennan defended drone strikes only as a “last resort,” but he said he had no qualms about going after Anwar al-Awlaki in September 2011. A drone strike in Yemen killed al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, both U.S. citizens. A drone strike two weeks later killed al-Awlaki’s 16-year-old son, a Denver native.
Those strikes came after U.S. intelligence concluded that the elder al-Awlaki was senior operational leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula plotting attacks on the U.S., including the failed Christmas Day bombing of an airplane as it landed in Detroit in 2009.
“I think it’s very unseemly that a politician gets to decide the death of an American citizen,” said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. “They should answer about the 16-year-old …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
President Barack Obama‘s use of unmanned drones to kill Americans who are suspected of being al-Qaida allies deserves closer inspection, lawmakers said Sunday as even some of the president’s allies suggested an uneasiness about the program.
Obama‘s stance toward the terrorist threats facing the United States has left some Democrats and Republicans alike nervous about the unmanned drones targeting the nation’s enemies from the skies. Questions about the deadly program dogged Obama‘s pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency last week and prompted lawmakers to consider tighter oversight. All killings carried out under the drone program have ballooned under the president’s watch.
“We are in a different kind of war. We’re not sending troops. We’re not sending manned bombers. We’re dealing with the enemy where we find them to keep America safe. We have to strike a new constitutional balance with the challenges we face today,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
“The policy is really unfolding. Most of this has not been disclosed,” the second-ranking Senate Democrat added.
Before John Brennan’s confirmation hearing to lead the CIA on Thursday, Obama directed the Justice Department to give the congressional intelligence committees access to classified legal advice providing the government‘s rationale for drone strikes against American citizens working with al-Qaida abroad. That 2012 memo outlined the Obama administration’s decision to kill al-Qaida suspects without evidence that specific and imminent plots were being planned against the United States.
The nomination of Brennan, Obama‘s counterterrorism adviser who oversaw many of the drone strikes from his office in the West Wing basement, kick-started the discussion about how the United States prosecutes its fight against the terrorist group.
Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, said he prefers a review before the remote-operated aircraft fire on someone.
“It just makes me uncomfortable that the president — whoever it is — is the prosecutor, the judge, the jury and the executioner, all rolled into one,” King said. “So I’m not suggesting something that would slow down response, but where there is time to go in and submit it to a third party that is a court, in confidence, and get a judgment that, yes there, is sufficient evidence here.”
Former Defense Secretary Bob Gates, himself a former CIA chief, suggested “some check” on a president’s ability to order drone strikes against American al-Qaida operatives would be appropriate and lent support …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Sen. Chuck Schumer, an influential Democrat and member of the party’s leadership, said Tuesday he would back President Barack Obama‘s choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Pentagon despite earlier misgivings about the Republican’s stand on Israel, Iran and gay rights.
In a lengthy statement, Schumer said he met for 90 minutes with Hagel on Monday and received assurances on a range of issues from the former Republican senator.
“I am currently prepared to vote for his confirmation. I encourage my Senate colleagues who have shared my previous concerns to also support him,” Schumer said.
The face-to-face meeting took place in the West Wing of the White House. While there, Schumer also met with Obama in the Oval Office, according to a Senate aide. Schumer told Obama that Hagel’s responses on Israel were critical to his decision on the nomination.
Schumer telephoned Hagel Tuesday morning and informed him of his decision, according to the aide.
Hagel has faced opposition from his former Republican colleagues and lukewarm support from some Democrats before and after Obama tapped him to replace Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
But Schumer’s support coupled with backing from Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, will be critical to the prospects for his nomination. The two are the more prominent Jewish members of the Senate, and Schumer is the third-ranking Senate Democrat.
In a conference call with reporters, Boxer said she was unaware that Schumer had announced his support for Hagel, but the fact that the two lawmakers reached their decision independently would be a boost to his nomination.
Boxer said she was confident that Hagel would carry out Obama‘s policies.
She added: “I feel people are being very unfair to Chuck Hagel.”
Schumer said Hagel told him that he backs all steps necessary, including the use of military force, to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Schumer also said Hagel told him that he has always supported Israel‘s right to retaliate militarily against attacks by Hezbollah or Hamas.
Hagel drew widespread criticism for referring to the “Jewish lobby” in describing certain pro-Israel groups. Schumer said Hagel understands the sensitivity of the “such a loaded term and regrets saying it.”
“I know some will question whether Senator Hagel‘s assurances are merely attempts to quiet critics as he seeks confirmation to this critical post. But I don’t think so,” Schumer said. Senator Hagel realizes the situation in the Middle East has changed, with Israel in a dramatically more endangered position than it was even five years ago. His views are genuine, and reflect this new reality.”
Schumer said Hagel also provided assurances on gay rights and abortion rights for members of the military.
Hagel has reached out to all 100 senators and his meeting with Schumer was the first of a dozen one-on-one sessions planned over the next few weeks.
Hagel’s confirmation hearing before the Armed Services Committee will probably occur within weeks.
Boxer said late Monday that she would support Hagel’s nomination. She said he provided answers to a range of questions and promised to support Obama‘s policies “without reservation.”
The former Nebraska GOP senator has been dogged by questions of whether he’s soft on Iran, weak in his backing for Israel and opposed to gay rights.
“A lot of charges rise up and fall when the facts are presented,” Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a friend of Hagel’s, said in an interview Monday. “That’s the same thing that’s going to happen here. These claims — suddenly claims are debunked — and we get on to substance.”
Backers of Hagel’s nomination counter criticism by pointing to his votes for some $40 billion in military and security aid for Israel during his 12 years in the Senate and his support for all options, including military action, to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. They argue that his position on gay rights has evolved.
Despite the support, Hagel — a Republican tapped by a Democratic president — has few advocates in either party in the Senate and a limited number of opportunities to make inroads with the GOP.
Democrats hold a 55-45 advantage in the Senate, and the party has the numbers to confirm Hagel if the vote is a simple majority. A possible Republican filibuster and a threshold of 60 votes would add even more rancor to the current fight between Democrats and Republicans over Senate rules just as the leaders are trying to negotiate a compromise.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
