George Bush's admin had a legal memo too - to define torture as necessary for security.

[kenny blankenship]

47. Amazingly Reagan had an Executive Order saying assassination was illegal

Last edited Wed Feb 6, 2013, 03:34 AM - Edit history (1)

not just a memo
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/05/15/five-reasons-drone-assassinations-are-illegal/
In 1976 U.S. President Gerald Ford issued Executive Order 11905, Section 5(g), which states “No employee of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, political assassination.” President Reagan followed up to make the ban clearer in Executive Order 12333. Section 2.11 of that Order states “No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination.” Section 2.12 further says “Indirect participation. No agency of the Intelligence Community shall participate in or request any person to undertake activities forbidden by this Order.” This ban on assassination still stands.

The reason for the ban on assassinations was that the CIA was involved in attempts to assassinate national leaders opposed by the US. Among others, US forces sought to kill Fidel Castro of Cuba, Patrice Lumumba of the Congo, Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic, and Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam.

That was the result of the Church Committee investigations into the CIA's family jewels. Assassination was presumed to be illegal, and since the CIA was ignoring that, Congress underlined it for the Executive just as FISA court law was supposed to underline for the Executive that warrantless wiretapping was unConsititutional, per the 4th Amendment. But that was then and now we're back in the assassination business. YEE HAW! WE'RE BACK BABY!

Can you wait for the rationalizations for renewed torture when it comes out that we're back in that business too? Hey, we've always used torture - ask the Filipinos! Ask the Vietnamese! They know! All Presidents have always had this power ! Oh yeah, it's gonna be sweet.