In an effort to secure protections for the U.S. Constitution and the inalienable rights of Americans, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) last week blocked a controversial effort by Senate leaders to advance the giant National Defense Authorization Bill funding the Pentagon and the wars without debate. The effort is expected to delay the bill until at least September. Big Government-supporting “Republicans in Name Only” (RINOs), globalists, and neocons hoping to rush the bill through without discussion, such as Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), were outraged by the move. But among liberty-minded Americans, Paul’s efforts to protect constitutional liberties received widespread praise.
Specifically, Senator Paul is hoping to add two important amendments to the NDAA. The first one would prohibit the indefinite detention of American citizens by the military or other arms of the federal government, something Congress purported to authorize in 2012 in a previous NDAA. The other amendment being sought by the liberty-minded Kentucky senator deals with the so-called “Authorizations for the Use of Military Force.” Also known as AUMF, the scheme was invented by the feds in a bid to fight illegal wars without actually having to declare war, as required under the U.S. Constitution. Both indefinite detention and the AUMF have been criticized by non-establishment conservatives as well as some liberals, despite support from the establishment.
Under Senate rules, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, was hoping to move the massive “defense” bill forward after the failure of the ObamaCare repeal last week. Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), were willing to go along with the scheme to move the legislation without debate or discussion. But when Senate leaders tried to obtain “unanimous consent” to move it along, Paul objected, thereby stalling the effort. Paul said little, but his communications director, Sergio Gor, explained the senator’s reason for holding up the bill was to insert the “bipartisan amendments, one on ending indefinite detention and one on AUMFs.” Apparently Paul is seeking a sunset clause on the AUMF, which has been exploited to justify endless war all over the globe. “He looks forward to working with leadership and the committee to get this done soon,” Gor said.
Senator McCain, currently facing nationwide fury among Americans for saving ObamaCare last week after campaigning against it, was apoplectic with Paul for trying to protect the Constitution. “For 55 years in a row, Congress has passed the National Defense Authorization Act,” said McCain, dishonestly seeking to equate support for the bill with support for the troops. “This legislation is more vital than ever. Global terrorist networks, increasing great power competition with Russia and China, malign Iranian influence spreading across the Middle East, a North Korean dictator racing to acquire missiles that can hit the United States with nuclear weapons — the threats to our national security have not been more complex or daunting than at any time in the past seven decades.”
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