This needs as much exposure on other forums and boards WE can give it.
WE THE PEOPLE need to assist the Governors of the nation by putting pressure on the 110th Congress to REPEAL a change in the most recent Department of Defense authorization bill passed by a Republican controlled Congress before the Christmas recess that allows President Bush to federalize the National Guard during certain emergencies and disasters without consultation or authorization of each state Governor.
Given the President's determination to again GO IT ALONE in Iraq THIS TIME without authorization or consultation with Congress, and against the will of the American people, WE THE PEOPLE can obviously see how this administration could be given one more chance to once again ABUSE and interpret not only the U.S. Constitution, but each state constitution as it sees fit in order to fill troop needs in Iraq.
Let us walk through this game plan.
President Bush challenges the Constitutional authority of both CONGRESS and our nation’s GOVERNOR’S: a question (or interpretation) of States Rights and the U.S. Constitution vs. Presidential power grab.
Not only is President Bush heading for a Constitutional show down with Congress over the use of our nations military, he is treading on the state constitutional rights of our nation’s governors according to the National Governors Association (NGA) when the administration wants to by-pass each state National Guards Commander-In-Chief to deploy "state" Guard troops without consultation or approval of state governors.
As the recently changed law now reads, this Presidential authorization is only in the event of natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina here at home, but it can be foreseen how this President can twist that interpretaton to coop the authority of especially Democratic party governors to control "their" state troops in order to prolong the War in Iraq or make war without either the authorization of Congress or the states.
President Bush challenges both CONGRESS and our nation’s GOVERNOR’S.
It is obvious that the Bush administration does not intend deploying any American troops for a short band aide solution to his Iraq Mistake, but to buy him time. The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) from where Mr. Bush primarily gets his nightmare for the future admits that we can stabilize Baghdad (and that is questionable) in a six month period, but we (the NEOCONS) cannot win a war in six months. They advised the Bush/Cheney duo to roll over Congress and tread on the Constitution by sending in as many troops as the President could get away with regardless of Congressional approval or oversight.
Surge and Run? More Troops is only part of the answer. By Tom Donnelly (AEI)
However, it is also obvious that in order to maintain any momentum of deployments for the "duration of Mr. Bush’s term in office," without implementing THE DRAFT means total reliance on the Army and Air National Guard. Unless the Bush administration intends doing to the the Navy and Air Force what has already been done to our ground forces. However, this is unlikely for two reasons. Any Google search will confirm that the Air Force is cutting people to include a Reduction In Force (RIF), not sure about the Navy, plus any intent to increase the use of Airmen or Sailor in a ground force role will mean a mass exodus from those services. Thus, using and abusing the Army National Guard and Reserves is the only option left the administration until it leaves office in 2009.
Here is where the die hard NEOCONS have over played their hand, and set the President up for cries of IMPEACHMENT from all quarters including the states regardless if they are Red or Blue during 2008.
In this below letter written by the National Governors Associated (NGA) dated August 31, 2006, which the collective WE need to get forwarded to as many people across the nation and to our troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially in the National Guard and Reserves, which is something members of Families Speak Out (MFSO) and related military family organization are doing.
This letter makes it EXTREMELY OBVIOUS that the Bush administration is not only challenging the Constitutional authority of Congress to make and monitor the progress of hostilities short of a declaration of WAR. President Bush is treading upon the state constitutional authority of every governor in the nation (regardless of political affiliation), and our nation’s governors DO NOT LIKE IT.
The concerns of our nation's governors fell on deaf ears under the Republican controlled regime of FORMER Senate Majority leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
NOW, it is up to grassroots pressure to remind current Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that WE THE PEOPLE are behind OUR NATIONS GOVERNORS in their concerns that this President is trying to do to the state constitutions and each states National Guard what he obviously hopes to do to the U.S. Constitution and War Powers of Congress TREAD ON THEM! Let us respond to this administration from Alaska and Hawaii, American Samoa, California all the way EAST to the Statue of Liberty and Washington Monument – THE TIME TO STOP TREADING ON OUR STATE AND NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONS MR. PRESIDENT IS NOW, OR WE THE PEOPLE WILL IMPEACH YOU!
This Retired Military Officer is so impassioned having learned of our nation’s governors recent concerns, because we know that the President cannot maintain any momentum in Iraq (win. lose, waste his time, get our troops slaughtered in a retreat to Kuwait, whatever), without continuing to abuse each states National Guard for the duration (meaning the end of his term). His administration and followers will not be satisfied with breaking the back of our regular forces. They need to destroy our entire means of defending our nation. In order to avoid demanding that the nation sacrifice for President Bush’s mistakes in Iraq, the NEOCONs are willing to sacrifice our last line of defense our National Guard to referee someone else’s civil war Bush/Cheney created.
There IS no need or justification for deploying any states National Guard without Congress in consultation with the President declaring a national emergency requiring implementation of Selective Service to augment both each states National Guard, our Reserve, and Regular forces. For both Congress and the administration to refuse to implement THE DRAFT while calling for more sacrifice from those not fighting and dying for our national survival is not only UNPATRIOTIC it is HYPOCRITICAL to the UPMOST. BRING OUR TROOPS HOME AS SOON AS LOGISTICALLY AND SAFELY POSSIBLE.
NGA Letter to Senate and House Leaders - National Guard Federalization!
NGA Letter to House Armed Services Committee - National Guard Federalization
Libertarians take States Rights SERIOUS!
On that last point I'm not endorsing the Libertarian Party per se, only showing IN COMPARISON the sense of urgency being shown by all political parties to this Presidential power grab.