DoJ says ok for Obama administration to kill American citizens (UPDATE)

What? And the media made such a stink over Bush's warrantless wiretaps, which Obama quadrupled by the way...

NBCNews: A confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American 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 U.S.

The 16-page memo, a copy of which was obtained by NBC News, provides new details about the legal reasoning behind one of the Obama administration’s most secretive and controversial polices: its dramatically increased use of drone strikes against al-Qaida suspects abroad, including those aimed at American citizens, such as the September 2011 strike in Yemen that killed alleged al-Qaida operatives Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. Both were U.S. citizens who had never been indicted by the U.S. government nor charged with any crimes.

So, could Nixon have killed Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers? The point is, what's stopping this policy's transition from overseas to mainland? Where's the line drawn between a terrorist operative or some other kind of dissenter, or is there one at all? It appears that the Senate is wondering the same...

WaPo: Eleven senators sent a letter to President Obama on Monday demanding access to secret legal memos outlining the administration’s case for the targeted killing of U.S. citizens in counterterrorism operations overseas.

The letter from eight Democrats and three Republicans contained the most forceful warning to date that lawmakers were considering blocking Obama’s nominees to run the CIA and Pentagon unless the memos are turned over.

The message comes three days before White House counterterrorism adviser John O. Brennan will face a confirmation hearing to become CIA director before the Senate intelligence committee. Former senator Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) is awaiting a vote in the Senate Armed Services Committee following his hearing last week to become secretary of defense.

Even with such a prince like Obama, it's discomforting to think about how this president and his administration could skirt constitutional processes in determining which American citizens can be justifiably and indiscriminately eliminated. Sheesh, I can't even say that without cringing.

UPDATE: This should be interesting...

AP: President Barack Obama has directed the Justice Department to give Congress’ intelligence committees access to classified information providing the legal rationale for drone strikes against American citizens working with al-Qaida abroad, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

Several lawmakers, led by Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, have pressed the White House for more information on how decisions are made to target U.S. citizens abroad follow the release this week of an unclassified “white paper” that the Justice Department sent key lawmakers last year. The unclassified memo says it is legal for the government to kill U.S. citizens abroad if it believes they are senior al-Qaida leaders continually engaged in operations aimed at killing Americans.

Considering the debatable war powers of the Commander in Chief in conjunction with those of Congress (Article I, Section 8), as well as the judicial and congressional determinations of treason (Article III, Section 3), it doesn't seem that the issue necessarily lies with a policy that deals with eliminating traitorous turncoats who join the enemy in actively seeking to harm Americans. Unfortunately, the discomfort still lies with entrusting such powers singularly to an executive, particularly with a president who daily seeks to undermine his own nation in innumerable ways...not to mention the unresponsiveness to his office's limitations either.