Points to ponder....the current main issue is the fact the Government is classifying everything to do with the Drone program including the Legal Justification Document that sets forth the Government's recording the Legal basis for them to be able to Kill a US Citizen without Judicial Due Process as required by the Constitution.
After that small hurtle they have to then justify killing anyone else.
Congress has the duty of oversight over the Executive Branch and Military and as the Obama Administration up until last night has steadfastly refused to produce that Document for the review by Congress. The President has the duty to report Presidential Findings that authorize Covert Activities to Congress under the existing Federal Law. It is not voluntary....it is mandatory he do this. He has not and refuses yet today.
The Senate Intelligence Committee held the Confirmation hearing for the new CIA Director today and a great deal of time was spent discussing the Drone program and its legal justification.
The Senators stated that only a select few of the Committee were granted access to the Legal Document and that other supporting documents had not been provided by the Department of Justice despite President Obama's assurance that all documents re the Legal Justification would be provided. So it appears the Obama Administration is still playing games with Congress.
The Nominee said before the committee it is his belief that Prosecution in Court is the best method of handling the Terrorists as it sets a higher moral standard than merely killing them and thus losing advantage of being able to interrogate them for actionable intelligence.
This Drone thing is not a simple issue.
The legal issues alone are quite significant, the image presented to the World by using extra-judicial means to dispatch suspected or known Terrorists causes problems with public opinion and tends to serve as a recruiting incentive to many that would otherwise not take up arms against us.
There are Operational benefits to the Drones but there are down sides to be considered as well.
The World has changed since the Geneva Accords were adopted and technology has allowed us an advantage over Terrorist groups what would otherwise be safe from attack due to their location in safe havens beyond our reach by other more conventional means. As the Terrorists are generally non-state illegal combatants utilizing Law Enforcement procedures and Courts does not tend to be very feasible in every case.
Over the next year or so we shall see a lot of attention to the Drone Program as the current Administration has lost their normal blind support by fellow Democrats....and for sure have little support by the Republicans on certain aspects of the program and absolutely none on how it has refused to cooperate in meeting legal obligations to report to Congress.
That problem is purely Obama's own making along with his Attorney General who remember is in Criminal and Civil Contempt of Congress over his false testimony and refusal to provide documents to Congress dealing with the ATF Fast and Furious Operation that involved the Feral Guvmint running guns to the Mexican Drug Cartels in a program that has resulted in hundreds of dead Mexicans and at least one if not more US Law Enforcement Officers.