George W. Bush claimed that he had the presidential authority to declare Americans "enemy combatants" and throw them into a dungeon without access to the court system.
But even Bush, with his breathtakingly expansive view of executive power, never stood in front of the American people and claimed he could order the assassination of an American citizen without judicial review.
Yet yesterday, after a Department of Justice white paper on President Obama's extrajudicial assassination program was leaked, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney shamefully and appallingly defended missile strikes against American citizens as "legal," "ethical" and "wise."
There may not be the political will in Washington, DC, to address this clearly unconstitutional power grab by the executive branch, but as citizens it is our duty to say this is clearly illegal, immoral and a deplorable desecration of the rule of law.
The Obama administration has previously defended the extrajudicial program that has killed a number of Americans, including an American teenager who wasn't involved at all with terrorism.
We have been solemnly told that the constitutional right to due process doesn't mean that the president can't unilaterally order, without any input from or review by the judiciary, a Predator drone to fire a missile at an American citizen.
It has been "explained" that there's a secret legal memo that makes this "legal."
The president has refused to make this secret memo available to Congress or the American people, thus far only releasing an insufficient white paper that purports to summarize the administration's legal justification for extrajudicial assassination.
It's absurd, it's illegal, it's completely antithetical to democratic values, and it's morally repugnant.
Tell President Obama: Assassinating Americans without due process is wrong. Click the link below to automatically sign the petition:
At times like this, outspoken dissent is an important political act.
Thank you for speaking out. Your activism matters.
Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets