|
|
LaRouche
Awlaki Killing Is the Most Impeachable Crime of Obama
2 October 2011
Department of Justice’s secret memo "authorizing" the hit on Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen, should immediately remind one of the infamous torture memos written by G.W. Bush Administration officials soon after the 9/11 attacks to "authorize" torture of individuals detained by the U.S. military. According to the Washington Post, the document was composed "following a review of the legal issues raised by striking a U.S. citizen and involved senior lawyers from across the administration," and there was no dissent. "What constitutes due process in this case is a due process in war," one of the anonymous officials told the Post,— that even though the U.S. is not at war in Yemen! In other words, Awlaki was deemed a "terrorist" and therefore the President had the right to order his assassination, all matters of law notwithstanding. The memo should recall President Richard Nixon’s dictum that "if the President does it, then it’s legal." This is of even greater enormity than anything Dick Cheney was accused of during the previous administration, as lawless as that was. While Cheney claimed the right to torture in the name of national security, Obama claims the right to murder in the name of national security. The death of Samir Khan, another American said to be the editor of Al-Qaeda’s Inspire publication, underscores the point. He was killed simply because he was accompanying Awlaki at the time. Neither of them was even ever indicted for any crimes, much less subjected to due process, one of the purposes of which is to determine the truth of the charges against the subjects. Lyndon LaRouche said Saturday that these killings are Obama’s most impeachable crime. A number of top administration officials are also known to be extremely upset about them. |