Obama's War

A provocative article about Obama's ruthless war strategy from Tim Stanley, writing for the Telegraph:

When historians come to describe Obama’s domestic agenda, there won’t be much to write except “a mess.” Fiscal policy has been dictated by events, spending has plunged out of control and his healthcare reforms could well be rejected by the Supreme Court. But on foreign policy, a different picture emerges. The President is a tough SOB without a liberal bone in his body.

A very unpleasant story emerged this week: Obama has a “kill list.” Dozens of advisers nominate terrorists suspects who should be targeted by American forces. The New York Times reports that the chosen few are then discussed at Tuesday meetings in the White House, where the Prez “[insists] on approving every new name on an expanding 'kill list,' poring over terrorist suspects' biographies on what one official calls the macabre 'baseball cards' of an unconventional war.” Some of the names are adolescents; some are Americans. The Times report implies that sometimes whole families are wiped out when a single suspect is targeted by a drone strike. Oddly, Obama’s top political strategist, David Axelrod, is also present at the meetings. Are targets chosen according to electoral impact? Surely not.