Checking the Legal Precedents, Twice at Least: Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia has asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to explore the “legal framework governing a President’s power to use the regular armed forces to restore public order” in situations like the “large-scale, protracted emergency” created by Hurricane Katrina or something other than a natural disaster. Warner, who is chairman of the Armed Services Committee, says Congress will be doing the same. In Warner’s view, the “only entity in the United States that has the personnel, equipment, training, and logistical capacity to lend support to the National Guard and other state entities in an emergency of this scale is the Department of Defense.”
The Air Force could conduct an operation like Israel's successful air campaign against Iran's nuclear sites, military leadership and air defenses, but readiness issues would make it risky, airpower experts said. Limited spare parts and training, low mission capable rates and few flying hours would put a drag on USAF's…