I’ve received a number of e-mails and comments about an Executive Order signed by Obama on Friday, titled National Defenses Resources Preparedness, and what it means.
It appears that this Executive Order is an update of prior Executive Orders signed in 1988 and 1994 which elaborate similar powers in time of war or national emergency. The 1994 Order in particular was not limited to national emergency:
The United States must have an industrial and technology base capable of meeting national defense requirements, and capable of contributing to the technological superiority of its defense equipment in peacetime and in times of national emergency.
Now I’ve not redlined the various versions, and if someone wants to make the argument that this is an expansion of presidential powers, then do so based on actual language.
There is enough that Obama actually does wrong without creating claims which do not hold up to scrutiny.
I’m not ruling out the possibility that this is more than it seems, but unless and until someone does more than merely state that martial law is coming, I’ll consider this to be routine.
Update: Ed Morrissey has more history of such Orders and reaches a similar conclusion.
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