Yes, I agree that a chain of command is definitely necessary. In many cases the POTUS simply listens to his advisors and gives permission. He's not the proactive agent in the process. He has no military experience or knowledge, either tactically or strategically. The last one of those we had in the Whitehouse was probably Eisenhower.

It is almost a certainty that the US military did not act in a rogue manner.

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Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

Obama followed his predecessor's strategy. It speaks well of neither, IMO.

I guess I'm all alone out here in being uncomfortable with the military or CIA killing Americans without trial. This is so inside out, to me.

I remember heated arguments with folks about non-judicial treatment of non-American enemy combatants caught on the battlefield. It's okay to target Americans for extra-judicial killing but it's not okay to stand an enemy combatant nekkid in a cold room?

Alright, let's put Mr Nixon in there ordering the killing -- he's the end of the chain of command. Want him to decide who dies?

I share your discomfort, although his status as an American doesn't make much of a moral or ethical difference to me. It might make a legal difference. I don't know.

Not four star generals or anything but:

Kennedy was a naval officer and war hero. Johnson, Nixon, and Ford were also naval officers with service in WWII. Carter was a naval officer. The first Bush was at one time the youngest Naval Aviator in the U.S. Navy and flew combat missions in WWII. Junior Bush was a fighter pilot, albeit stateside the whole time.

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Bot, Ron Paul has got your back.

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) on Friday criticized Obama for “assassinating” Awlaki, saying he should have been tried in a U.S. court like domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh.

"If the American people accept this blindly and casually, that we now have an accepted practice of the president assassinating people who he thinks are bad guys, I think it's sad," Paul told reporters in Manchester, N.H. He said his disagreement arises largely from the fact that Awlaki holds dual American and Yemeni citizenship and authorities have never been "specific" about his crime.

Yeah, that's the problem I have. I also had a problem with it under Dubyuh. I have no problem executing Bin Ladin (Good job, Mr Obama).

Paul's mentioning of McVeigh is interesting. Why didn't we just kill that mofo instead of wasting time and money on a trial.

His death was officially sanctioned by the US a couple of years ago. So, what's the big deal now. If I recall correctly, it was the current administration that sanctioned it. That would be either a CIA or DOJ originated and POTUS/CINC approved order, wouldn't it?

IIRC also, there was OD discussion of this back then. It's too late on Friday to go fishin'

Somewhere deep in the bowels of Google there is an old WP article about this guy when he was the darling of the DC crowd, an example of a new moderate Muslim cleric. This from the time when he ran that Mosque in No. VA, before he lit out for the ME. Maj. Nadal was a visitor/attendee of said mosque.
Born in New Mexico. Full citizen. Er, make that was a full citizen.
Good riddance. A legal kill imo.

"Legal"? How do you define that term?

good to see all the fascists show their true colors. (not)

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I understand your feelings, and I might share them if this sort of thing happened to someone not so obviously in need of killing.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

This does a fair job of capturing most of what I was stammering about trying to say. The author goes farther than I would on some aspects.

Bot

President Obama authorized the killing of an American citizen because he had declared war on the United States and encouraged others to bring harm to America. Whatever Anwar al-Awlaki's wrongs -- and there were many -- when America kills its own without a trial, it not only demeans itself but it hands over a propaganda victory to its enemies.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's leader since the death of Osama bin Laden, will chide this great country again for abandoning its values and principles. The White House's authorization of this killing also tells American Muslims that a precedent has been set by their government to kill American citizens abroad without trial if they oppose their country.
This cannot be right -- and is counterproductive to defeating terrorism in the long term because it demolishes the very values that America stands for: the rule of law and trial by jury.

more: U.S. shouldn't have killed al-Awlaki - CNN.com

Whatever you think Tom. You are correct though, I would be GREATLY surprised if he proved such a thing.

All Presidents have people gunning for them, but they also have the Secret Service to hide behind.

Larry[/QUOTE]

As did JFK and Ronald Reagan...

hit the reset on the mindset pastor, It aint 70 anymore, and they are in a place where agent orange is not used,

hmmm AO--This possibly explains some stuff about .......U.

I also am uncomfortable with targeted killings; not saying I am against it, but it can be misused.
Its easy to rationalize how its OK to kill this bad guy. Maybe its a long step ( or maybe not) to "lets kill this group of bad people", or "this race of bad people".
Its an undeclared war--I think that muddles it, too. I'd see it in a different light if we had declared war, and he was killed in open combat.
Slippery slope.

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