Leahy Vows To “Restore” Habeas Corpus For Terrorists

Posted on November 12, 2006

Here is some more of the “new direction” the Democrats hope to take us in.

A battle is shaping up between Democrats and the White House over the Military Commissions Act, signed into law last month by President George W. Bush.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is expected to take over as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and The (Calif.) Daily Journal reports that Leahy is drafting a bill to undo portions of the new law in an effort to restore habeas corpus rights for enemy combatants.

A spokeswoman for Leahy told the newspaper the bill would be intended to repeal portions of the law that prevent some detainees from pursuing federal court challenges to the government’s authority to hold them indefinitely.

Spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler told the newspaper the goal is to “try and do something to reverse the damage.”

Typical moonbat that thinks this Act was “damage” to our Constitution. The truth is that Leahy is hoping to create rights for our enemies. He wouldn’t be “restoring” anything.

Warner Todd Huston at Newsbusters:

How nice of Leahy to “restore” something they never had in the first place!

The supposed rights of habes for enemy combatants never existed and still doesn’t. The only thing that the last few Supreme Court decisions addressed is if enemy combatants can APPLY for habeas protections, NOT that they should automatically have them.

Meanwhile the ACLU prepares to challenge the Act:

In challenging this unconstitutional legislation in the courts and in Congress, the ACLU has pledged to fight for our civil liberties when legislative and judiciary branches of government seem to have turned their collective backs on us; it intends to conserve our civil liberties and defend the balance of power. It is going to battle for the beseiged Constitution and the threatened American Way.

Welcome to the kindler, gentler, “new direction” for the War on Terror the Democrats hope to lead us into. I doubt that Leahy can get the votes for this but stil… All I can say is that I hope President Bush can learn how to actually use his veto pen. It is gonna be needed for the next two years.

Others: Wizbang

» Filed Under ACLU, News, War On Terror


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3 Responses to “Leahy Vows To “Restore” Habeas Corpus For Terrorists”

  1. Draven32 on November 12th, 2006 8:08 pm

    Repeat after me….

    Terrorism is an act of war, not a criminal act.

    Terrorism is an act of war, not a criminal act.

    Terrorism is an act of war, not a criminal act.

    A lesson we’re aware of, but the democrats don’t seem to realize. And the tendency to want to treat it as a criminal act led directly to 9/11.

  2. kerwin_brown on November 13th, 2006 10:24 am

    Sen. Patrick Leahy,

    He can try but the Republican can filibuster. All the Republicans have to do in the Senate is take one more vote from the Democrats than the Democrats take from them in order to vote down any bill since Dick Cheney will cast the tie breaking vote.

    The question is whether the Republicans are too scared to stand up after their recent electorial slaughter.

  3. gentrfam on November 14th, 2006 9:42 pm

    Without a neutral judge looking at it, how do you even know you’ve got the right terrorist?

    In other words, would you trust President Hillary’s determination that Detainee X was really a terrorist and not simply a conservative on vacation in a foreign land?

    That’s why ultra-liberal organizations like the Cato Institute have been decrying the Detainee Act.