Obama: a GOP president should have rules limiting the kill list

[Kevin_Kennedy]

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.

 

[TakeAStepBack]

No one seems to care anymore.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

No one seems to care anymore.

True. Republicans have to try to take partisan potshots and do their best to paint Obama as a peacenik, despite him simply ramping up Bush's foreign policy, and Democrats have embraced their inner neocons.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

My guess is that the usual suspects will simply argue that we are the crazy people for thinking the government should never have too much power.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

My guess is that the usual suspects will simply argue that we are the crazy people for thinking the government should never have too much power.

Then we'll have to ask them if it was crazy for Obama wanting to limit the power of a potential Republican President.

 

[George Costanza]

If I were you, I wouldn't try to compare Republican administrations to Democratic administrations when it comes to imperial presidencies. The Relpubs win that one hands down.

Now, having said that - I don't think ANY president should issue hit orders on any individual, U.S. citizens or otherwise. I didn't agree with the killing of Osama Bin Laden. I had always been of the opinion that we didn't do stuff like that - largely because it might encourage similar actions against our own leaders from the bad guys.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

If I were you, I wouldn't try to compare Republican administrations to Democratic administrations when it comes to imperial presidencies. The Relpubs win that one hands down.

Now, having said that - I don't think ANY president should issue hit orders on any individual, U.S. citizens or otherwise. I didn't agree with the killing of Osama Bin Laden. I had always been of the opinion that we didn't do stuff like that - largely because it might encourage similar actions against our own leaders from the bad guys.

Each administration merely ups the ante of its predecessor. Obama has taken the Bush foreign policy and expanded it to include his kill list and assassinations including American citizens. So I think the comparison is more than warranted.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

If I were you, I wouldn't try to compare Republican administrations to Democratic administrations when it comes to imperial presidencies. The Relpubs win that one hands down.

Now, having said that - I don't think ANY president should issue hit orders on any individual, U.S. citizens or otherwise. I didn't agree with the killing of Osama Bin Laden. I had always been of the opinion that we didn't do stuff like that - largely because it might encourage similar actions against our own leaders from the bad guys.

That is one of the most ignorant things you have ever said George. Why don't you give me a list of all the Democratic presidents who have walked back Republican reforms that expanded the power of the presidency? After you do that you can show me the list of Democratic presidents that didn't expand their own hold on power.