NBC NEWS has obtained access to a secret Justice Department memo that lays out a startling legal basis for authorizing drone strikes on American citizens. The memo concludes that the US government can authorize the killing of Americans citizens if they are believed to be “senior operational leaders” of al Qaida or “an associated force “even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the United States. The memo offers what NBC NEWS refers to as an “expansive definition of self defense and imminent attack” in making the legal case for targeting American citizens.
NBC NEWS has posted the entire 16 page document on its website.
Let’s cut to the chase here.
The Obama Justice Department has provided the president with a biased legal opinion that authorizes him to target American citizens without allowing the individual(s) the opportunity for due process afforded all Americans. It states that the president may order such an attack even though there is no evidence that the individual has planned or is actively planning an attack on the US. It further states the individual may be targeted for associating with other individuals who may have planned or may be actively planning attacks on the country. And it places the burden of proof as to guilt or innocence on the targeted individual.
This sounds, or perhaps more appropriately smells, an awful lot like the biased legal opinions crafted by the Bush Justice Department that handed “W” the authorization to use “enhanced interrogation techniques” on Qaida prisoners.
We felt Bush violated domestic and international laws then and we are not so certain that Obama isn’t violating our laws now. This is a very slippery slope that needs to be investigated thoroughly.
The law is the law…and holding a president accountable should NOT be based on who we supported at the polls.
Kudos to Michael Isikoff and NBC NEWS for breaking this story.
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