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Daily Round-up: Was the al-Awlaki killing justified?

Patrick J. Buchanan examines the legality of killing Anwar al-Awlaki , a radical cleric connected to al-Qaeda. Awlaki was an American citizen, eliminated without arrest or trial. Predator drones were used against Awlaki in Yemen last Friday. President Obama authorized the killing of al-Awlaki in 2009. Was Obama justified, from a legal standpoint — and […]

Patrick J. Buchanan examines the legality of killing Anwar al-Awlaki , a radical cleric connected to al-Qaeda. Awlaki was an American citizen, eliminated without arrest or trial. Predator drones were used against Awlaki in Yemen last Friday. President Obama authorized the killing of al-Awlaki in 2009. Was Obama justified, from a legal standpoint — and even so, did he execute the action with appropriate means? Buchanan says yes — but these kinds of actions need more clarity.

While GOP Presidential candidates Rick Perry and Mitt Romney have praised the action, Herman Cain seems to have flip-flopped. Originally, he condemned the hypothetical scenario in an interview with The Atlantic. After the killing on Friday, however, he also praised it. Ron Paul has continued to condemn the action, calling it an illegal assassination.

Over at Fox, Judge Andrew Napolitano also weighed in on the issue, asserting that the action was unconstitutional. “The future of freedom is not good … if the President thinks he can kill anybody he wants.”

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