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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGraham's America: "I'm not going to call a judge, I'm going to call a drone and we will kill you"
Soon-to-be presidential candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) could be heard laughing on Saturday as he told a crowd of Iowa Republicans that if an American were suspected of associating with terrorists, he would order a drone to kill that person.
"If I'm President of the United States and you're thinkin' about joining al-Qaeda or ISIL anybody thinkin' about that? I'm not going to call a judge, I'm going to call a drone and we will kill you," Graham said at the Iowa Republican Party's annual Lincoln Day Dinner fundraiser.
Audio of the remark was captured by NPR.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/lindsey-graham-drone-kill-islamic-state?utm_content=bufferad4f4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
AUDIO:
http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/05/17/407385168/gop-presidential-hopefuls-serve-up-ice-cream-cheese-and-red-meat-to-iowans
Octafish
(55,745 posts)From a couple months' back:
Why the media silence on Lindsey Grahams vow to use the military to force vote in Congress?
By Bill Van Auken
world socialist web site, 14 March 2015
The protracted 2016 presidential campaign cycle has already begun, and with it the close attention of the media to the statements made by prospective candidates in hopes of discovering even the slightest gaffe that can be turned into a political news item.
All the more odd then that the remarks made at a New Hampshire town hall meeting by one Republican presidential hopeful, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have been virtually blacked out by all of the major print and broadcast outlets.
Asked by a member of the audience what he would do about automatic cuts to the Pentagon budget that would go into effect because of sequestration, Graham responded that the problem had left him sick to his stomach.
[font color="green"]He continued: And here is the first thing I would do if I were President of the United States: I wouldnt let Congress leave town until we fix this. I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to. Were not leaving town until we restore these defense cuts. Were not leaving town until we restore the intel cuts.[/font color]
The statement is extraordinary. A candidate for the presidency of the United States vows that, once elected, he would use the military to impose hisand itswill upon a recalcitrant Congress. Presumably, troops would hold members of the House and Senate at gunpoint until they produced the results demanded.
CONTINUED...
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/03/14/medi-m14.html
Thanks for the heads-up, kpete. This guy is getting readied to be Jebthro's Cheney.
yellowcanine
(35,717 posts)Good to know where he stands on democracy.
Aristus
(66,651 posts)Yep, that's a Republican's America, all right...
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)and yet support Obama when he actually does it?
yellowcanine
(35,717 posts)joining ISIS? Please elaborate.
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)The last one was described by the Pentagon as a "propagandist." That's not too far removed from "joining ISIS."
yellowcanine
(35,717 posts)Big fat exaggeration on your part.
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)delivered to supporters in Iowa. Yes - he engaged in some pretty offensive and callous bravado, playing the political tough-guy that his supporters want to see. We should expect this. Personally I find these kind of mocking OPs pretty useless - we know what Republicans are like; there really is no discussion of substance to be had in pointing and laughing at them.
However, there is a discussion of substance to be had about actual abuse of drone warfare, yet too many Democrats are willing to hand-wave away any objections to how the President uses drone strikes. I guess the bottom line is: does one believe in the Bush Doctrine? One must, if one believes that how we conduct our drone warfare campaigns is righteous.
yellowcanine
(35,717 posts)You tried to graft that discussion unto a discussion about the bombastic Mr. Graham. Not really germane nor useful either, I would maintain. You want to discuss drone policy, start a new discussion.
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)NutmegYankee
(16,216 posts)Killing enemy soldiers caught in the open, in the field, even if they happen to have US Citizenship, is not a crime and not unconstitutional.
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)NutmegYankee
(16,216 posts)If you join an enemy group/army/nation, you can be targeted like any other enemy combatant.
LuvNewcastle
(16,880 posts)people who commit thought crimes needs to be removed from his job. It's one thing to be a fool, but it's quite another to flaunt it in public.
johnnyreb
(915 posts)http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/08/iraq/main616338.shtml
For a very brief moment Senator, I thought there was some hope for you.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)Hersh in 2004 reported it involved all manner of evil, including harming children in front of their parents -- "for information" -- from people who had NOTHING to do with 9-11.
It never did though. Corporate Owned News does as its told. They will go no where near anywhere near following up on war crimes, let alone the treason leading up to the wars for profit. The example also shows BFEE power over the press.
It's like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. getting no air time at all when he stated his father thought the Warren Commission was crapola.
Who's that leave, when "journalists" won't even bother to report, let alone investigate, treason?
johnnyreb
(915 posts)In their dependency world of thievery, projection and responsibility-avoidance, they can only reconcile the horror of their own conduct by embracing full-on barbarism.
song:
http://www.mp3c.cc/track/-27403387_108194621
7wo7rees
(5,128 posts)kentuck
(111,111 posts)Like a chill on a cold, rainy day...
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)Constitution, he would actively violate it. Great plan there, Lindsey!!
Bonobo
(29,257 posts)Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,799 posts)Lindsey's decided to thump his chest and get his war on.