Washington – The Obama administration’s secret legal memorandum that opened the door to the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born radical Muslim cleric hiding in Yemen, found that it would be lawful only if it were not feasible to take him alive, according to people who have read the document.
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The memo, written last year, followed months of extensive deliberations and offers a glimpse into the legal debate that led to one of the most significant decisions made by President Obama — to move ahead with the killing of an American citizen without a trial.
The memo provided the justification for acting despite an executive order banning assassinations, a federal law against murder, protections in the Bill of Rights and various strictures of the international laws of war, according to people familiar with the analysis. The memo, however, was narrowly drawn to the specifics of Mr. Awlaki’s case and did not establish a broad new legal doctrine.
Let’s all give him credit for DOING SOMETHING. RIGHT.
This should not need to be too deeply discussed it’s simple: if any citizen, American or from any other country declares openly war on Americans on innocent men women and children and we have an opportunity to “take him out” – of course we should.
The simple rule should be ” You threaten to kill us ? We will hunt you down and eliminate you”.
This rule should apply also to countries not only to individual terrorists for example Iran. Letr us not wait until it’s too late to do it. Let us stop Iran BEFORE it can acquire the “Bomb”.
The left will be praising him for his common sense. Imagine the uproar from that same left if GW Bush was the author of these memos?
So what about murderers on American soil? Should we now simply start sending drones to take them out as well?
Is it not hypocritical that when a murderer is executed in texas by a court of law after many many years of being on death row all hell breaks loose. and everybody is attacking texas governor rick perry but when obama has drones kill an american citizen he gets praise