I just read a story by Michael Isikoff, National Investigative Correspondent, NBC News where he revealed details of a confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or “an associated force” -- even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S.  Don't do a "double-take", you read correctly!

The 16-page memo, a copy of which was obtained by NBC News, provides new details about the legal reasoning behind one of the Obama administration’s most secretive and controversial polices: its dramatically increased use of drone strikes against al-Qaida suspects abroad, including those aimed at American citizens, such as the  September 2011 strike in Yemen that killed alleged al-Qaida operatives Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. Both were U.S. citizens who had never been indicted by the U.S. government nor charged with any crimes.

Michael wrote "the secrecy surrounding such strikes is fast emerging as a central issue in this week’s hearing of White House counter terrorism adviser John Brennan, a key architect of the drone campaign, to be CIA director.  In a talk at the Northwestern University Law School in March, Attorney General Eric Holder specifically endorsed the constitutionality of targeted killings of Americans, saying they could be justified if government officials determine the target poses  “an imminent threat of violent attack.”  

The real scary aspect of all of this is that the confidential Justice Department “white paper” introduces a more expansive definition of self-defense or imminent attack than described  by Brennan or Holder in their public speeches.  It refers, for example, to what it calls a “broader concept of imminence” than actual intelligence about any ongoing plot against the U.S. homeland.    

And I am called upon to support this President and his administration, when crap like THIS is going on under my nose?  So much for the promised (and never delivered on I might add) transparency of the Obama administration.