Applying pressure on House and Senate negotiators working on the bill last week, Obama and senior members of his national security team, including Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, had sought modifications in the detainee provisions.
Negotiators announced the changes late Monday, clearing the way for White House acceptance.
In a statement, press secretary Jay Carney said the new bill "does not challenge the president's ability to collect intelligence, incapacitate dangerous terrorists and protect the American people."
Specifically, the bill would require that the military take custody of a suspect deemed to be a member of al-Qaida or its affiliates and who is involved in plotting or committing attacks on the United States. There is an exemption for U.S. citizens.
House and Senate negotiators added language that says nothing in the bill will affect "existing criminal enforcement and national security authorities of the FBI or any other domestic law enforcement agency" with regard to a captured suspect "regardless of whether such ... person is held in military custody."
The bill also says the president can waive the provision based on national security.
"While we remain concerned about the uncertainty that this law will create for our counterterrorism professionals, the most recent changes give the president additional discretion in determining how the law will be implemented, consistent with our values and the rule of law, which are at the heart of our country's strength," Carney said.
All throughout Twitter, there's fear that the provisions within this bill as they pertain to terrorist detainees will be used to "infinitely detain" #OWS protesters and destroy the movement. And there are plenty of people who are using this bill as pretext for torpedoing President Obama's support among liberals.
Therefore, I'm providing a link to a previous post I made about NDAA right at the beginning of the misinformation spread, "The Homeland Is Part Of The Battlefield." Please give it a read before jumping on the "OBAMA SIGNED NDAA! OBAMA TEH EVULZ!" bandwagon.
EDIT: Obama did not promise to veto the bill outright, contrary to what some would believe. He promised to veto the original bill, until it was revised to his liking. Afterwards, there was no need for him to veto the bill.
