After weeks of heavily lobbying the Senate to kill the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), there was no consoling the White House for a decisive loss today. The Senate voted 97-1 to override President Obama’s veto of JASTA, and the House quickly followed suit, albeit in a slightly closer vote.
JASTA would allow 9/11 victims’ families to sue Saudi Arabia for its role in supporting the attackers in the lead-up to the attacks. President Obama has repeatedly claimed this would be hugely dangerous, and open the US up to major lawsuits for its own assorted misdeeds abroad.
They’re not changing their tone just because they lost, either, with White House spokesman Josh Earnest terming the override “an abdication” of the Senate’s basic responsibilities to represent the people, and “the single most embarrassing thing that the United States Senate has done.”
This marks the first veto of President Obama’s entire presidency to be overriden by Congress, and such a decisive defeat appears particularly embarrassing for the administration. In the Senate, the debate was virtually non-existent on the override, with not a single Democrat willing to give lip-service to sustaining the veto ahead of the vote. Ultimately, only Sen. Harry Reid (D – NV) voted against it.
The continued hysteria after having already lost the vote appears to be of little value, and while Earnest expressed hope voters would punish the Senate for this override, public support for JASTA is actually so strong that the White House initially hoped to defer the veto and override battle until after the November election, in hopes that senators would be more willing to go against the will of their constituents if an election wasn’t looming.
What is embarrassing is a US president making a career of siding with Saudi Arabia and israel every time all the time over and against the interests of the American people. Yes, Obama, you are a traitor.
It is not just Obama. Who ushered the Saudi family out of the country despite the flight ban over USA skies right after 9/11? Who made the 9/11 commission testimony secret in the first place?
Protecting our drug-supplier, err, oil-supplier is a nonpartisan GOVERNMENT issue.
I didn’t say it was just Obama. But he has a chance know to get himself out of it, or eat least shut the hell up about the veto. Instead he does this.
Who would have ever thought that racism would be the motivating factor for risking a hot war with Russia? Who would have thought that the American people wouldn’t easily understand that Obama has saved his country from an allout war in Syria and Iran during his presidency. And who would be so foolish to think that the next president is going to drag her/his feet any longer.
It is sad to see that Trump has caused people to feel safe in showing their racism and bigotry in public like it was 1956. you My son, are the epitome of a racist.
Apparently only you “thinks” such stuff, Don. You may want to look up what the world “racist” actually means before you struggle using it.
This presidency is done.
Sure is, and the next one is going to get a lot more serious about completing the PNAC agenda for Syria and Iran. That Iran deal sure was a bad one wasn’t it!
As one of those people the Congress is supposed to represent I’m happy with this override and suspect it may open a can of worms on 9/11 that is the real reason for all the White House hysteria.
Would that be Bush2’s can of worms? And why would Obama want to defend that loser?
please correct me if I’m wrong, but what is Obama and the CIA saying here ? essentially that Americans should not bother to pursue people suspected of being involved in terror plots inside the US if they’re members of a foreign government or royal family ? … what if that foreign government was Iran ? just ignore it ?
maybe i’ve misread the situation but thats what seems to be being implied here, turn a blind eye to foreign government involvement in 9/11 because we’ve also done some shady things abroad.
I wouldn’t excuse you for going with the feel good emotion but maybe somebody else will. As is typical with most Americans, you see it in the most simplistic terms and likely won’t be speaking up to apologize when it hits the fan.
Yes, he’s a black guy, but he’s only trying to do what’s good for your country. And what’s good for your country is not having to employ a doube standard and leave the US open to suits for what it’s been doing. I’m so anxious to see the results of this but most likely nothing will come of it anyway. Too many reasons to sue the US for it’s wars of aggression throughout the world. The double standard will have to be insisted upon now.
luv from Canada.
not really sure what Obamas skin colour has to do with any of this, very odd comment.
I’m not an American, but 9/11 and it’s fall out effected the entire world, i just want to know the truth, let the chips fall where they may!
Simply Ark Ark, the racist hate for Obama has caused the American people to not accept that Obama has saved Syria and Iran. Other than that, the truth is already known and along with you, the conspiracy theorists are having a great day, along with you by the looks of it. Obama knows that and so the can of worms that’s getting opened is in his estimation, a cause that can be propagandized to cause lots of problems in the ME and especially with Saudi. There’s just no reason for expectations to rise on the theories that the Saudis did it. Americans have to humble themselves and come to accept that Osama did it and he was not a friend of the Saudi monarchy.
And also simply put, you don’t go gangbusters over suing an entire country’s leadership. You instead, rationally name a co-conspirator in some country and pursue that lawsuit in the US courts. It’s just a simple matter of them not being able to name somebody to sue so they get carried away with suing the Saudis. I mean just ask one of them. Who do they think is guilty?
And too Ark Ark, ya wouldn’t think that the entire f—ing US congress wouldn’t be able to see the logic in that!! I mean, it’s not rocket science! That’s why I think the colour of Obama’s skin has to be behind the rush to sue Saudi. What in hell else could it be for rational people?
“Simply Ark Ark, the racist hate for Obama by the people who elected him president twice has caused those people to not pretend that his war in Syria, undertaken by personal choice on his own claimed personal authority, is actually the opposite, an attempt at peace being frustrated by the Congress which, inconveniently to the whole weird idea, has declined to even try to rein him in a little.”
Fixed, no charge.
If your congress was happy with the Iran deal you may have a case. Unfortunately the truth you have to face is that your US congress is going to destroy the deal. Bad deal, remember. Bad because Obama’s admin was responsible for successfully negotiating it and preventing the war your congress was drooling for.
Don’t let your racism trump your antiwar agenda Thomas. We know you have it in you somewhere?
Strike three. Goodbye.
Stop threatening Ark Ark for rules you’re now making up after the fact. Remember how there was only one rule that you would ban somebody for? Remember what that rule was? Just ask if you don’t.
@ Don G. Leave it to someone to try & turn wars of aggression & power into a noble cause. Or to twist the truth about the death & destruction we have brought. Neither Iran or Syria attacked us, so yes, that makes us the aggressors. Learn from history & the Nuremberg tribunals. War of aggression is the total sum of evil.
And the 9-11 families already sued Saudia Arabia. But the only law they could use before the passing of this legislation, required proof of guilt on US soil. Now they have a fighting chance.
Gee Dale, you sound like you might be genuinely antiwar! You could be the only real one on this board today, unless you count all the wingnut libertarians who are pretending.
“Even if Raimondo wants to try to sell books making it into something like that.”
There are two possibilities.
One is that you haven’t read the book and have no idea what’s in it, so you’re just hypothesizing from a state of complete ignorance as to what you’re talking about.
The other is that you’re just lying.
Please let me know which one it is.
I don’t penalize people for being benighted ignoramuses with no ambition to know what they’re talking about before talking.
I do eventually penalize people for knowingly falsely accusing Antiwar.com staff of e.g. racism and anti-semitism. This would be your second strike. I just want to keep the count straight, hope it’s not too much trouble.
I am glad that American citizens will be suing the Saudi Government. Somewhere in all of the churning over of history and the uncovering of previously brushed over politically sensitive areas, just maybe some light will be shed on subjects like The Dancing Israelis, previous “work” on the Twin Towers, supposed military drills on the same day, dodgy insurance maneuvering, etc. Let it all hang out – may embarrassment be the order of the day. Jill Stein promises a new 9-11 investigation. We won’t get Jill, so let the moneygrubbing lawyers root out the truth.
Who would have ever thought that racism would be the motivating factor for risking a hot war with Russia? Who would have thought that the American people wouldn’t easily understand that Obama has saved his country from an allout war in Syria and Iran during his presidency. And who would be so foolish to think that the next president is going to drag her/his feet any longer.
To hell with Russia! They’re just bluffing and there’s no way Putin will stand his ground against Trump/Clinton!
Right?