XPost: alt.military, alt.politics.liberal.bleed.bleed.bleed, alt   
   fan.rush-limbaugh   
   XPost: sac.politics   
   From: democrats.surrending@the.usa   
      
   The aircraft used to strike a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean last   
   September was part of a fleet of disguised planes that are painted to   
   look like civilian aircraft and typically reserved for conducting   
   surveillance, two people familiar with the matter told ABC News.   
      
   The detail, first reported by The New York Times, raises additional   
   questions about the legality of the Sept. 2 strikes, which killed 11   
   people, including two people who survived an initial attack.   
      
   The strike was the first of dozens of strikes against vessels in the   
   Caribbean and eastern Pacific the administration says were carrying   
   illegal narcotics.   
      
   "I have very, very severe doubts about the legality of our use of   
   certain aircraft, and I think there has to be further investigative   
   effort," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters Tuesday after   
   a classified briefing on military operations.   
      
   The laws of armed conflict prohibit troops from pretending to be   
   civilians, who are granted special protections in warfare.   
      
   While there appears to be some debate as to what actions qualify exactly   
   as "perfidy" -- a war crime -- international rights groups say examples   
   include feigning surrender, acting incapacitated and pretending to be a   
   non-combatant.   
      
   The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.   
      
   A third person familiar with the incident, who declined to discuss the   
   type of plane used due to security concerns, told ABC News the plane had   
   been registered to the Air Force and was "squawking," or emitting   
   signals, that made clear the plane belonged to the U.S. Air Force.   
      
   "The U.S. military utilizes a wide array of standard and nonstandard   
   aircraft depending on mission requirements," Defense Department Press   
   Secretary Kinglsey Wilson said in a statement.   
      
   "Prior to the fielding and employment of each aircraft, they go through   
   a rigorous procurement process to ensure compliance with domestic law,   
   department policies and regulations, and applicable international   
   standards, including the law of armed conflict," Wilson added.   
      
   Sources said the Air Force maintains a fleet of crewed aircraft painted   
   to appear as though they are civilian planes. Such aircraft would be   
   useful in surveillance and reconnaissance missions and using it in such   
   a way would not violate the laws of war.   
      
   Blumenthal is a traitor who would sell out his home nation to the enemy.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)