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[palsch]

The CIA and military do drone strikes. One of them requires presidential approval, the other does not. I am not 100% sure on this, but I think the military strikes can be done independent of presidential approval.

Military strikes within an approved theatre would not need independent approval, so long as they were including in the original approval. A military force in Afghanistan assigned a drone task force would be able to deploy it as they like. However, if the military were making a strike in Pakistan, outside any current operational arena, they would need specific permission. There isn't much difference between a drone strike and a special operations strike like the one that took out Osama from that perspective. The violation of Pakistani sovereignty is always going to need high level go-ahead.

I would note that the official stance, despite the leaks and recent press stories, is that, "whether or not the CIA was involved in drone strike operations ... is a classified fact." [Context - An ACLU FOIA request.] Unofficial releases aren't seen as admissions of CIA involvement, even if they are extensive discussions of the legal and logistical structures of such strikes. That slightly complicates matters here, as it's almost certain this was a CIA lead strike but the administration are probably going to be vague on that front and treat it as a military operation. It would be (legally, politically) interesting if they came out and officially announced this was a CIA strike, but it seems unlikely to me at this time.



Unrelated; Obama seems to be fighting clean.

• Democratic presidential advertisers aired 35,936 ads. Of these, 70 percent (25,092) were positive and 30 percent (10,844) were negative.
• Republican presidential advertisers aired 27,857 ads. Of these, 27 percent (7,584) were positive and 73 percent (20,273) were negative.

So there's that.

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Because the Republican party has zero to run on if they only talk about what they have to add to the political situation.

[Zrk2]

Because the Republican party has zero to run on if they only talk about what they have to add to the political situation.

I have at least three things they add:

1. Guns
2. God
3. Gays

[Osmosis Jones]

I have at least three things they add:

1. Guns
2. God
3. Gays

I must admit, I've always found that trite little summary of their goals hilarious; considering how they love god, and guns, its only sensible to think they're all for gays as well. That's without going into the phallic imagery of rifles, or the patriocentric view of god that's the standard christian view.

[slaytanic]

Rachel Maddow is sofa king hot !! If only she could get it on with Hillary and that Flo chick from the insurance commercials ! I really hope someone gets elected this november because presidents are really important to have around. (supposedly)

[Jervill]

...What?

[Descan]

I...

What?

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I hereby choose not to recognize this sensory data.

[Zangi]

I love the blatantly illegal robocalls telling people to stay home if they signed a petition since they "already voted". It's on the same level as calling people and telling them you'll shoot them if they vote for your opponent.

I hope somebody loses their job for that.

...  Just their jobs?  Heads should be rolling.

[mainiac]

Well no but it should be punishable by life in prison.  Suppressing democracy is no joke and should be treated as the very serious crime that it is.  Maybe if republican scum operatives like that were put in jails we'd finally get some prison reform in this country.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I would disagree with life in prison. A nonviolent felony, certainly, but life imprisonment is something that should be reserved for the likes of murderers and rapists.

[GlyphGryph]

I guess it depends on your values. I mean, you just made it clear that crimes of different severity are both worth life in prison, why not one more?

And unlike those, this would probably be EFFECTIVE as a deterrent.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

As I am against the imposition of the death penalty, I see life imprisonment as the sentence that is to be imposed upon the worst offenders of society, who are actively dangerous to other people, have committed these dangerous acts in their normal mental state of their own free will, and cannot be rehabilitated.

Messing with an election doesn't fit those criteria.

[Descan]

No.

NO. No nononononononononono.

We are NOT getting into ANOTHER argument over prisons, law, politics, OR WHATEVER.

Nopenopenopenopenope.

[Aqizzar]

Correct, we are not.

Meanwhile in Wisconsin, Scott Walker will be remaining in office, by a margin of... about ten percent?  Only took seven times as much money as his opposition, more than two-thirds of it from outside Wisconsin.  This will be a very interesting precedent.