In late January, I wrote about the Obama administration's "presidential assassination program," whereby American citizens are targeted for killings far away from any battlefield, based exclusively on unchecked accusations by the Executive Branch that they're involved in Terrorism. At the time, The Washington Post's Dana Priest had noted deep in a long article that Obama had continued Bush's policy (which Bush never actually implemented) of having the Joint Chiefs of Staff compile "hit lists" of Americans, and Priest suggested that the American-born Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was on that list. The following week, Obama's Director of National Intelligence, Adm. Dennis Blair, acknowledged in Congressional testimony that the administration reserves the "right" to carry out such assassinations.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Obama Targets Americans For Assassination!
President Barack Obama Has A List Of Americans Targeted For Assassination.
Confirmed: Obama authorizes assassination of U.S. citizen
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First of all, no one has been assassinated (unless you count an American citizen killed by Bush-ordered drone attacks). It's also only one person, not "Americans" in the plural.
ReplyDeleteBesides those emotionally charged, misleading phrases, it's fair to say this is wrong. Why is he doing it, though? I think I'm pretty clear on the reasoning.
There has been a lot of talk of Israeli policy on the matter of terrorism. They often don't go to war, they conduct small-scale operations. When a car bomb kills their citizens, they don't usually roll up to another nation with tanks (sometimes, but only when it's a rag-tag group of impoverished Palestinians, not Iran or Saudi Arabia or any country that might put up a fight).
I think Obama thinks we should run out foreign policy like the movie "Munich," which is a romantic notion of targetted, small-scale "justice" rather than massive military invasion. I think his intentions are good, but what good are intentions when you're circumventing your own ideals?
It's also only one person, not "Americans" in the plural.
ReplyDeleteI guess you didn't hear the part where John Brennan used the word "dozens".
Perhaps I did.
ReplyDeleteWell, you already know I think the whole "terrorist" label is nothing but an excuse for us to do whatever we want. I think you'd be surprised to know how many people Bush had killed, though perhaps it doesn't matter because they aren't American (ergo, they mean nothing). Obama's on pace to beat him though... especially since it's looking like it will be two terms unless Republicans can do better than Mitt "Magic Undies" Romney.