Once again, I didn't get the memo

A 2004 order permits attacks on terrorists outside war zones.

Some of you may remember my getting a little hot under the collar about the unauthorized attack on Syria on October 26. I had this nagging feeling that there was something wrong with lauching offensives within sovereign nations at our whim. This was primarily because it sure seemed to piss us Americans off when other countries did that to us. Maybe I was just having a bad day...

Well, turns out "we" (the U.S. government) issued a hush-hush memo back in 2004 saying that this was perfectly acceptable. Who penned it? This will shock you: Donald Rumsfeld. Here is the link to the story on The Huffington Post.

Secret Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda in Many Countries

By ERIC SCHMITT and MARK MAZZETTI
Published: November 9, 2008

An excerpt:

"These military raids, typically carried out by Special Operations forces, were authorized by a classified order that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld signed in the spring of 2004 with the approval of President Bush, the officials said. The secret order gave the military new authority to attack the Qaeda terrorist network anywhere in the world, and a more sweeping mandate to conduct operations in countries not at war with the United States.

"...The 2004 order identifies 15 to 20 countries, including Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and several other Persian Gulf states, where Qaeda militants were believed to be operating or to have sought sanctuary, a senior administration official said."

And there you have it.