Last Friday the Obama administration announced that it had killed one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world: Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American-born cleric living in Yemen.
Awlaki was infamous for his fiery sermons advocating jihad against the United States and its citizens, and he had been on the CIA's hit list since early 2010. Obama boasted that his death was a "major blow" to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and a "significant milestone in the broader effort to defeat Al Qaeda."
The story you probably didn't hear is that Awlaki was an American citizen who had never been charged with any crime and was assassinated without any semblance of due process.
Administration officials continue to claim that Awlaki was involved in planning various attacks and was officially tied to AQAP, but they refuse to release any of the evidence for their claims.
Without proof of these allegations, the only thing that's clear is that Awlaki was exercising his freedom of speech in a way that the government didn't like.
Obama even refuses to release his own Justice Department's interpretation of the Authorization for the Use of Military Force resolution that supposedly gives him the ability to extra-judicially execute U.S. citizens. State secrets privilege sure comes in handy.
This sets a dangerous precedent, the magnitude of which cannot be overstated. The president can now play judge, jury and executioner for any person in the world for any alleged crimes he can think up, and he doesn't have to present a single shred of evidence to support his claims.
If you happen to trust Obama with that power (not that you should), remember that the legacy of executive overreach won't end with this presidency; it could very well be Rick Perry or Michelle Bachmann authorizing the due-process-free killing of citizens in an election cycle or two.
That point highlights the astounding hypocrisy of Democrats and progressives who pretended to care about civil liberties back when Bush was in office. They (rightfully) lambasted his administration for its warrantless wire-tapping, suspension of habeas corpus, "enhanced interrogation techniques," et cetera. Now that an incumbent Democratic president is leading the assault on the Bill of Rights, they are the ones applauding loudest.
When it comes to undermining the principles that our country was founded on, at least Republicans have been consistent.
Matt Pankey
senior, chemical engineering
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