Washington Post (May 5)
Was it legal for U.S. Special Forces to kill Osama bin Laden? The Post argues both the killing and the raid, which was conducted without Pakistani approval, were legal under the authorization for the use of military force (AUMF). Passed by Congress one week after September 11, AUMF essentially declared war on al-Qaeda and the Taliban, giving the president broad powers to conduct the campaign. “The covert military operation that brought down the most wanted terrorist in the world appears to have been gutsy and well executed. It was also lawful.”
Tags: Congress, Legality, Osama bin Laden, Pakistan, U.S.
New York Times (May 4)
Harvard Professor Martin Feldstein writes that raising the income tax rate is unnecessary. Limiting tax deductions, allowances and other credits is, however, essential. Feldstein proposed capping these at 2% of each tax payer’s adjusted gross income. This alone, “would raise tax revenue by $278 billion — nearly 30 percent of total projected income tax revenue for this year.”
Tags: Deductions, Rate, Revenue, Tax, U.S.
