We killed Yamamoto

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku_Yamamoto#Death


I am very ambivalent about the drone program. Among other problems, what do we do when other people get drones.

I'm old enough to recall when assassination of foreign leaders by the CIA was a back ground scandal.

Any executive power that can be used with discretion and judgment buy one President can be abused by the next.

But - what are the choices here? We can invade an entire region. We can use drones. We can wait to see if we are indeed attacked.

As near as I can tell, some of these regions are more groups of war lords than they are actual nation states. Negotiation and depending on local law enforcement are not options. There is no one to negotiate with. There is no local law enforcement. All of our laws and customs come from a time when warfare required the resources of a nation state. Now, all it requires is a small group of people and some cash. (Which goes back to the question - what do we do when the other guys get drones?)

I've been saying for many years that what we're dealing with now is closer to piracy than it is to warfare. As such, I think we have to look at how the rules for dealing with piracy differ from the rules for warfare.

Ultimately, the questions come down to this: Is there a clear and present danger to Americans? If so, how do we remove that danger with the least harm to ourselves and others?