John Warner needs serious scrutiny

The recently passed John W. Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2006 has some fine print that should concern everyone. The new law--PL109-364--should be reviewed by many. The provision that is so alarming is entitled, “Use of the Armed Forces in Major Public Emergencies.”

According to Senator Leahy, (D-Vermont), the measure virtually invites the White House to declare federal martial law. It breaks h historical tradition of "federal restraint." “The changes to the Insurrection Act will allow the President to use the military, including the National Guard, to carry out law enforcement activities without the consent of a governor....Using the military for law enforcement goes against one of the founding tenets of our democracy."

Is anyone surprised that this bill was rubber stamped and rushed through Congress with the due haste that we have come to expect from the "Rubber Stamps" anxious to continue Bush's War on our civil liberties? This provision “was just slipped in the defense bill as a rider with little study,” Leahy said. “Other congressional committees with jurisdiction over these matters had no chance to comment, let alone hold hearings on, these proposals.”

Of course, our sweet talking allegedly "moderate" Senator John Warner had his hands all over this bill and it's passage.

Just like Warner was able to successfully prevent hearings on the renderings and White House authorized torture policies he was able to rush a hasty bill provision through Congress that authorizes Bush to trump the rights of states and their citizens if Bush decides martial law is necessary.

Warner has granted more power to a President who has shown that he is the one who needs adult supervision. It seems to me that John Warner and Arlen Specter (R-PA) are operating by the same game plan.

I hope that Warner does run in 2008. The message that the voters could send the Rubber Stamp Congress in showing him the door would truly be powerful.

Hopefully the new Democratic chair--Carl Levin--will legislate Warner's martial law provision out of existence asap. No one needs to give George Bush a new toy to wreck havoc with in his remaining two years in office.