[Infowarrior] - WH Briefly Considers 'Explicit Rules' For Killer Drones, Abandons Process After Romney Loses Election

[Richard Forno]

The Obama Administration Briefly Considers Developing 'Explicit Rules' For Killer Drones, Abandons Process After Romney Loses Election

from the unfettered-power:-good-for-me,-not-so-much-for-thee dept

The US government's "targeted strike" drone program has been around since George W. Bush's first presidential term. Despite being nearly a decade old, the program has largely operated in a gray area of legality, with no codified set of rules governing drone strikes. So, what does it take to get some guidelines applied to the executive branch-controlled remote-control merchants of death? The threat of having to turn control over to the "other side," apparently.

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So, when the control is in your hands, it's ok to direct long distance killings without "clear standards and procedures." But, if the other guy is being handed the power, it's suddenly time to "develop explicit rules." This doesn't come across as genuine concern. It sounds more like a last-minute effort to hobble the program by throwing in a handful of cursory checks and balances.

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http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20121126/17184921151/obama-administration-briefly-considers-developing-explicit-rules-killer-drones-abandons-process-after-romney-loses-election.shtml

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