Jeremy Scahill: The United States Has Become A 'Nation of Assassins' With Drone Attacks

[karynnj]

133. As apposed to a series of posts that assume the worst of Obama, sounds good to me

On this, the use of drones bothers me, but the alternatives may not be any better. Consider the drones being used in Northwest Pakistan and in Yemen. In Pakistan, it is clear that the government of Pakistan does not control the area (which is why it is called the lawless area) OR through the ISI, they are encouraging the attacks on the coalition - as they speak of fighting the terrorists and being our ally. What is JS's recommendation for anything to replace the drones? I doubt he wants either soldiers on foot there or manned flights. Is his alternative to this INTERNATIONAL effort for all to leave and hope that Pakistan can control them being a terrorist hotbed?

How does raising this issue HELP Obama? Do you think that before the election Obama will suddenly change the aggressive policy that he has taken? The only real alternative to Obama is Mitt Romney - and it is unlikely that he would be less aggressive - in fact, his rhetoric on Iran is very aggressive. Domestically, there is a world of difference. If Romney is elected, you can count on the safety net being shredded. Though Obama could not sign single payer into law, HCR does insure more people and provide more subsidies. Just as the far right has to consider the real choice - and vote for a candidate who they never liked, the far left needs to look at similar calculations. (Not to mention, Obama is to the left of the last two Democratic Presidents and is the more liberal than any nominee of the party except John Kerry and maybe Mike Dukakis in the last 25 years. )