Kevin_Kennedy
Defend Liberty
- Aug 27, 2008
- 18,553
- 1,923
- 245
The president's flattering view of himself reflects the political sentiments in his party and the citizenry generally
For the last four years, Barack Obama has not only asserted, but aggressively exercised, the power to target for execution anyone he wants, including US citizens, anywhere in the world. He has vigorously resisted not only legal limits on this assassination power, but even efforts to bring some minimal transparency to the execution orders he issues.
This claimed power has resulted in four straight years of air bombings in multiple Muslim countries in which no war has been declared using drones, cruise missiles and cluster bombs ending the lives of more than 2,500 people, almost always far away from any actual battlefield. They are typically targeted while riding in cars, at work, at home, and while even rescuing or attending funerals for others whom Obama has targeted. A substantial portion of those whom he has killed at the very least have been civilians, including dozens of children.
Obama: a GOP president should have rules limiting the kill list | Glenn Greenwald | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
The question here is if Obama can drone bomb whoever he wants with no oversight, then why shouldn't a Republican President have the same power? This is why libertarians have always argued that we must limit the powers of the President, even when it's your guy, because eventually somebody you don't like will be in office and will inevitably use those same powers in ways you disagree with.