By Stacy Drake
From Olivier Knox at Yahoo News:
Hours after CIA Director John Brennan took the oath of office—behind closed doors, far away from the press, perhaps befitting his status as America’s top spy—the White House took pains to emphasize the symbolism of the ceremony.
“There’s one piece of this that I wanted to note for you,” spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at their daily briefing. “Director Brennan was sworn in with his hand on an original draft of the Constitution that had George Washington’s personal handwriting and annotations on it, dating from 1787.”
[…]
The Constitution itself went into effect in 1789. But troublemaking blogger Marcy Wheeler points out that what was missing from the Constitution in 1787 is also quite symbolic: The Bill of Rights, which did not officially go into effect until December 1791 after ratification by states. (Caution: Marcy’s post has some strong language.)
That means: No freedom of speech and of the press, no right to bear arms, no Fourth Amendment ban on “unreasonable searches and seizures,” and no right to a jury trial.
There’s no telling what Brennan actually put his hand on during the private ceremony.
** A bit of what Marcy Wheeler had to say ~ Gary: [emphasis mine]
That means, when Brennan vowed to protect and defend the Constitution, he was swearing on one that did not include the First, Fourth, Fifth, or Sixth Amendments — or any of the other Amendments now included in our Constitution. The Bill of Rights did not become part of our Constitution until 1791, 4 years after the Constitution that Brennan took his oath on.
I really don’t mean to be an asshole about this. But these vows always carry a great deal of symbolism. And whether he meant to invoke this symbolism or not, the moment at which Brennan took over the CIA happened to exclude (in symbolic form, though presumably not legally) the key limits on governmental power that protect American citizens.
….. just thought everyone should know !!!!!
Alphabetical by Senator Name
Alexander (R-TN), Yea
Ayotte (R-NH), Nay
Baldwin (D-WI), Yea
Barrasso (R-WY), Nay
Baucus (D-MT), Yea
Begich (D-AK), Yea
Bennet (D-CO), Yea
Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea
Blunt (R-MO), Nay
Boozman (R-AR), Nay
Boxer (D-CA), Not Voting
Brown (D-OH), Yea
Burr (R-NC), Yea
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea
Cardin (D-MD), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Casey (D-PA), Yea
Chambliss (R-GA), Nay
Coats (R-IN), Yea
Coburn (R-OK), Yea
Cochran (R-MS), Nay
Collins (R-ME), Yea
Coons (D-DE), Yea
Corker (R-TN), Yea
Cornyn (R-TX), Nay
Cowan (D-MA), Yea
Crapo (R-ID), Nay
Cruz (R-TX), Nay
Donnelly (D-IN), Yea
Durbin (D-IL), Yea
Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Fischer (R-NE), Nay
Flake (R-AZ), Yea
Franken (D-MN), Yea
Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea
Graham (R-SC), Yea
Grassley (R-IA), Nay
Hagan (D-NC), Yea
Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Hatch (R-UT), Yea
Heinrich (D-NM), Yea
Heitkamp (D-ND), Yea
Heller (R-NV), Nay
Hirono (D-HI), Yea
Hoeven (R-ND), Nay
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Johanns (R-NE), Nay
Johnson (D-SD), Yea
Johnson (R-WI), Nay
Kaine (D-VA), Yea
King (I-ME), Yea
Kirk (R-IL), Yea
Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Not Voting
Leahy (D-VT), Nay
Lee (R-UT), Nay
Levin (D-MI), Yea
Manchin (D-WV), Yea
McCain (R-AZ), Yea
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
McConnell (R-KY), Nay
Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
Merkley (D-OR), Nay
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Moran (R-KS), Nay
Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Murphy (D-CT), Yea
Murray (D-WA), Yea
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Paul (R-KY), Nay
Portman (R-OH), Nay
Pryor (D-AR), Yea
Reed (D-RI), Yea
Reid (D-NV), Yea
Risch (R-ID), Nay
Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Rubio (R-FL), Yea
Sanders (I-VT), Nay
Schatz (D-HI), Yea
Schumer (D-NY), Yea
Scott (R-SC), Nay
Sessions (R-AL), Nay
Shaheen (D-NH), Yea
Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Tester (D-MT), Yea
Thune (R-SD), Nay
Toomey (R-PA), Nay
Udall (D-CO), Yea
Udall (D-NM), Yea
Vitter (R-LA), Not Voting
Warner (D-VA), Yea
Warren (D-MA), Yea
Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea
Wicker (R-MS), Nay
Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Awesome, thanks!
That Marcy Wheeler is a real trouble maker. I would love to hear what she has to say about torture.
Yeah because a regime who’s First Lady and war criminal turned Secretary of the State, that was going to honor a woman who admires Adolf Hitler, and called for jihad against America, is as pure as the driven snow, and it’s only a coincidence that’s it’s CIA Director, a Muslim convert, took the oath on a draft of the Constitution that has no mention of our God given rights, and no guarantees that government wouldn’t infringe on these rights!
Move along, nothing to see here!
I don’t know Marcy Wheeler, and thus don’t know her politics, but I imagine, like most, she takes a dim view of torture. I’m sure she also takes a dim view of the Obama regime’s policy of just killing people, including America citizens, with drone strikes.
Let’s be honest, Anwar al-Aulaqi was a terrorist who was constantly plotting to kill his own people. I am surprise that Conservatives are crying fowl over Aulaqi’s death but they were all silent when GW decided to invade Iraq.
You silly liberals miss the point, as usual. The question was all about whether Obama could kill American citizens ON AMERICAN SOIL, without due process, as guaranteed under the Constitution. This of course, pre-supposes that citizen wasn’t an eminent threat.
The Obama regime, through it’s mass murdering Attorney General, Eric Holder, claimed the president did indeed have the power to assassinate American citizens, on US Soil, at will.
And before you say another word, do not forget that Holder also worked for Bill Clinton, and under Bill Clinton American citizens were slaughtered at Ruby Ridge, and Waco, without due process. Democrats are pure evil and 100 percent capable of killing citizens for no good reasons.
Oh, and what does Bush or Iraq have to do with anything?
Saddam Hussein was the number one sponsor of terror in the world. He was paying Palestinian terrorists’ families $25,000 a head for every one of the violent Muslim swine that would strap a bomb on themselves and blow themselves up in Israel. Past that, Saddam used weapons of mass destruction on HIS OWN PEOPLE!
If any regime ever needed toppling, it was the one in Iraq.
It never ceases to amaze me how you vile democrats will stick up for every murderous thug dictator that ever lived.