WASHINGTON — A report Monday night on the nature of the administration’s drone program has the potential to dramatically revamp the debate over President Barack Obama’s foreign policy and the confirmation process for his incoming cabinet.
The report, by Michael Isikoff of NBC News, reveals that the Obama administration believes that high-level administration officials — not just the president — may order the killing of “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or an associated force even without evidence they are actively plotting against the U.S.
“A lawful killing in self-defense is not an assassination,” states the Justice Department white paper quoted by Isikoff.
The 16-page memo, given to Congress in June, is not the final Office of Legal Counsel memo that news organizations have sued to obtain. But it offers plenty of insight into the government’s justification for killing American citizens in overseas drone strikes.
The paper states that the U.S. would be able to kill a U.S. citizen overseas when “an informed, high-level official of the U.S. government” determines the target is an imminent threat, when capture would be infeasible and when the operation is “conducted consistent with applicable law of war principles.”
The white paper suggests that such decisions would not be subject to judicial review and outlines a broad definition of what constitutes “imminent” threat.
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So, if some grandma visiting Bali for a vacation happens to be seen speaking with a possible Muslim terrorist, is she considered an “imminent threat”?
Or, if a drone flying over Iowa spots a student reading a book about revolutions, will he be attacked?
Also, Obama ordered that troops in Afghanistan can no longer have a hot breakfast in order to save money. Wonder if he is still having breakfast daily in the White House. BTW–Obama also does skeet shooting using a rifle. Seems like half-white man speak with forked tongue.