This page contains bills sponsored by presidential contenders.
Bill sponsorships indicate the topics that legislators are most interested in, and spend the most time on.
Legislation by 2008 Presidential Candidates: allowing assassination of terrorist leaders
Source: Terrorist Elimination Act (H.R.19)
OnTheIssues.org explanation: The US Army and the CIA are currently prohibited by law from assassinating enemies, including terrorist leaders. These prohibitions were put into place after the Kennedy assassination, and after the CIA attempted to assassinate Fidel Castro, so that enemy countries would have no incentive to assassinate American leaders. This bill undoes those prohibitions. Pres. Bill Clinton claimed during his presidency, he interpreted this law to NOT apply to terrorist leaders, since "assassination" only applies to government officials. Hence Pres. Clinton DID attempt to assassinate Osama bin Laden, by cruise missile attack. Under that interpretation (which is not universally accepted) this bill would clarify that Pres. Clinton's actions were and are legal, and hence Pres. Bush may take the same action.EXCERPTS FROM BILL and from ORIGINAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS: Congress finds that--- past Presidents have issued Executive orders which severely limit the use
of the military when dealing with potential threats
- these Executive orders limit the swift, sure, and precise action needed to protect our national security;
- present strategy allows the military forces to bomb large targets hoping to eliminate a terrorist leader, but prevents our country from designing a limited action which would specifically accomplish that purpose.
The following provisions of Executive orders shall have no further force or effect:- Section 5(g) of Executive Order 11905: "5(g) No employee of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, political assassination."
- Section 2-305 of Executive Order 12036: "2-305. No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination.
- Section 2.11 of Executive Order 12333: "2.11: No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination."
- Topic: Homeland Security
- Headline: Allow assassination of terrorist leaders
- Headline 2: Sponsored bill allowing assassination of terrorist leaders
- Key for participation codes:
- Sponsorships: p=sponsored; o=co-sponsored; s=signed
- Memberships: c=chair; m=member; e=endorsed; f=profiled; s=scored
- Resolutions: i=introduced; w=wrote; a=adopted
- Cases: w=wrote; j=joined; d=dissented; c=concurred
- Surveys: '+' supports; '-' opposes.
Democrats
participating in 01-HR0019 |
Independents
participating in 01-HR0019 |
| Virgil Goode |
s1o | POTUS Constitution Party Challenger | |
Total recorded by OnTheIssues:
Democrats:
0
Republicans:
15
Independents:
1 |
|
 |
|
