Secret ‘Kill List’ Proves a Test of Obama’s Principles and Will
Mr. Obama is the liberal law professor who campaigned against the Iraq war and torture, and then insisted on approving every new name on an expanding “kill list,” poring over terrorist suspects’ biographies on what one official calls the macabre “baseball cards” of an unconventional war. When a rare opportunity for a drone strike at a top terrorist arises — but his family is with him — it is the president who has reserved to himself the final moral calculation.
“He is determined that he will make these decisions about how far and wide these operations will go,” said Thomas E. Donilon, his national security adviser. “His view is that he’s responsible for the position of the United States in the world.” He added, “He’s determined to keep the tether pretty short.”
Nothing else in Mr. Obama’s first term has baffled liberal supporters and confounded conservative critics alike as his aggressive...
Articulating vertebrae wrote: "it is the president who has reserved to himself the final moral calculation." No. It is his position as commander-in-chief that bestows the ultimate responsibility onto the President. No hiding behind plausible deniability here like so many of his predecessors from both parties! Good to see Obama showing he possesses some guts and backbone! A true leader does not shrink from the duties of office just to keep his fanbase. 4 more years!
It could be that the overall worldwide terror situation is so bad now that even someone like Obama, now that he's president and privy to all kinds of intelligence reports, knows that we can't afford to fool around with these people. Had 9/11 occurred on Clinton's watch, Clinton might have been more motivated to get Bin Ladin than he was. If Romney wins this Fall it will feel like (at least to me) that we're just switching engineers on this runaway train called America. Hope I'm wrong.
"it is the president who has reserved to himself the final moral calculation."
No. It is his position as commander-in-chief that bestows the ultimate responsibility onto the President.
No hiding behind plausible deniability here like so many of his predecessors from both parties! Good to see Obama showing he possesses some guts and backbone! A true leader does not shrink from the duties of office just to keep his fanbase.
it is a movement, a new system, not a person...... if ch's were responsible, they would read bills, see names on them, watch speeches.....they would find a well-oiled machine doing the bidding from both sides of the aisle.
"because Mr. Obama’s liberal reputation and “softer packaging” have protected him. “After the global outrage over Guantánamo, it’s remarkable that the rest of the world has looked the other way while the Obama administration has conducted hundreds of drone strikes in several different countries, including killing at least some civilians,”"
This is an interesting article and one which surprises me about Obama. As a devout Liberal even dare I say it a Democrat, I wouldn't expect his foreign policfy to include such an active and pro-active kill policy. There must be a wee bit of Republican in Obama when it comes to action against terrorism. Quote; "Mr. Obama’s record has eroded the political perception that Democrats are weak on national security."
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