[Beetle01]

I think that we agree on this issue much more than we disagree. However, if you are saying that a court order should be obtained prior to deploying drones on foreign soil, then I strongly disagree because American courts have no jurisdiction outside of American territory. Limited drone use in lawless countries like Yemen falls under the power that the executive branch, IMO.

As for Americans killed on foreign soil by drones, while it is true that terrorists are often hunted and monitored for weeks or months before a drone strike is ordered, it is not practical and it is not necessary to identify everybody in a terrorist's entourage. Our State Department needs to warn American citizens about the danger of openly associating with suspected terrorists in unfriendly nations. If some Americans choose to ignore such good advice, then they should be prepared to accept the consequences of being judged by the company that they keep.

I think you may be misunderstanding me a little bit, but yes I think we do agree mostly. I have no problem deploying drones, or using those drones to strike foreigners, and if we identify and attack a foreign terrorist with a drone and an American is killed while in that entourage, then that is their fault. I am also not saying we need a warrant to deploy drones in foreign territory or strike foreign terrorists.

What I am saying, is that if an American citizen is the PRIMARY target of a drone strike, then that citizen is guaranteed certain rights. That is where I believe obtaining the capture/kill warrant is necessary. If they obtain that warrant, and the American is in a foreign territory and unable to be captured for interrogation and trial, then I am okay with using a drone strike.

I am not okay with launching drone strikes on American citizens as the primary target by the order of one person (President or other) based only on circumstantial intelligence and information, without going through the proper legal channels (checks and balances). If the evidence is so overwhelming that the military and intelligence agencies feel a drone strike is needed, then obtaining that warrant should be doable. This helps protect Americans rights, as well as putting some form of accountability in place.