I the Current Administration's Policy on Drone Strikes Constitutional

Is The Current Administration’s Policy on Drone Strikes Constitutional? On September 11, 2001, everything changed. Terrorism had never been seen on such a massive scale. As a result of the massive attacks on U.S. soil, changes had to be enacted. The fight against terror was now a global war effort. The War on Terror was not a popular choice, but it no one expected it to go on for this long. It is now being fought by technology, which led to the drones being used against U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism. The president can authorize these strikes with the claim that these citizens pose an imminent danger to the security of the United States. However, the Obama administration’s definition of imminent threat is vague and without oversight or any checks and balances. There are various military, governmental, and ethical concerns regarding the use of drone strikes ordered by the president. The use of drones is valid, but the administration has not presented any valid defense of their tactics, which paints a poor picture of Oval Office tactical policy. First of all, there is no judicial oversight regarding the actions taken by the president and his executive branch. The amount of information available to the public is determined entirely by the current administration and its intelligence agencies. When it comes to making decisions on who lives and who dies, the president is basically judge, jury and executioner. The president should not, and indeed, does not, have this authority under the Constitution. Under the Bill of Rights, U.S. citizens have the right to due process. While a full-fledged trial for a militant in the Mideast may not be realistic, a U.S. citizen should at least have the right to judicial review, rather than the right to prove their innocence post-mortem. The increase in the number of strikes has resulted in more civilian deaths and the alienation of many potential allies overseas. Pakistan has withdrawn their support for

Cited: Bachman, Jeff. “Growing Opposition to US Drones Program.” Thehill.com. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. Bergen, Peter. “Drone is Obama’s Weapon of Choice.” CNN.com. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. Crabtree, Susan. “Congress Gets Obama Data on Use of Drones.” Washingtontimes.com. 6 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. Elliot, Philip. “Gates Backs Lawmakers’ Oversight of Drone Program.” USNews.com. 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. “Graham-Paul Split On Us Drone Strikes Impact.” Foxnews.com. 17 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. Gur, Haviv Rettig. “US Drone Program Needs More Transparency.” Timesofisrael.com. 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.