7. Drone Policy
"Nor shall any person... be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law" -Amendment V, U.S. Constitution Anwar al-Awlaki was a Yemeni imam who was basically a talent scout and regional leader in Yemen for al-Qaeda. In his years with al-Qaeda he recruited and "coached" such terrorists as the infamous Underwear Bomber, the Fort Hood shooter, and the Times Square bomber. Born in New Mexico, he was also an American citizen, and in an unprecedented move, Barack Obama placed al-Awlaki on a drone "hit list," authorizing the U.S. military to take him out on sight via drone strike should the opportunity present itself. Now, just because this is controversial doesn't mean I'm going to disagree with every decision on this list that Obama has made; the world is a much safer place without Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki, both of whom were taken out by order of the President through unorthodox gung-ho strategy, but this enormous stretch of power... the idea that Barack Obama actually has a "hit list" that includes American citizens abroad is extremely alarming, and this target was taken out on 30 September 2011. While al-Awlaki had sworn his allegiance to al-Qaeda, at the time of his death he was not exactly a clear and present danger to the United States. There was no imminent threat, and yet the President took out a previously antagonistic U.S. citizen via drone strike on a "shoot on sight" protocol. Where is the legality in this, when our most sacred document says that no person shall be deprived of life without due process of law? These points were brought up in Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky's epic 13-hour filibuster this past March. Among my favorite Rand quotes of that day include, I think its also safe to say that Barack Obama of 2007 would be right down here with me arguing against this drone-strike program if he were in the Senate. There's some food for thought.