A question on targeted killings

The LaTimes has a great article on the use of the Predator drones for "targeted killings" of terror figures, a policy which has worked soooo well for Israel, by the way.

This is another great example, like the "black site" prisons in Eastern Europe or the NSA DOMESTIC wiretapping, of the Bush administration using a controversial classified program which cannot be debated because of its classified status.

Little is known about the targeted-killing program. The Bush administration has refused to discuss how many strikes it has made, how many people have died, or how it chooses targets. No U.S. officials were willing to speak about it on the record because the program is classified.

Several U.S. officials confirmed at least 19 occasions since Sept. 11 on which Predators successfully fired Hellfire missiles on terrorist suspects overseas, including 10 in Iraq in one month last year. The Predator strikes have killed at least four senior Al Qaeda leaders, but also many civilians, and it is not known how many times they missed their targets. ......

The CIA does not even acknowledge that such a targeted-killing program exists, and some attacks have been explained away as car bombings or other incidents. It is not known how many militants or bystanders have been killed by Predator strikes, but anecdotal evidence suggests the number is significant......

Although presidents Ford and Reagan issued executive orders in 1976 and 1981 prohibiting U.S. intelligence agents from engaging in assassinations, the Bush administration claimed the right to kill suspected terrorists under war powers given to the president by Congress after the Sept. 11 attacks.

It is the same justification Bush has used for a recently disclosed domestic spying program that has the National Security Agency eavesdropping on American citizens without warrants, and a CIA "extraordinary rendition" program to seize suspected terrorists overseas and transport them to other countries with reputations for torture.

It's a great article and definitely worth a read. LATimes does require registration, so here are two ways around that. First, just got to the Yahoo version. Or make use of the wonderful tool that is www.bugmenot.com a database of names and passwords for registration required websites. It's a must for the serious newsjunkie.

And, oh, my god, check out Doonesbury today.