Two civil liberties organizations, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have filed a lawsuit against the administration of President Barack Obama to prevent the US government from carrying out lethal operations against Anwar Al Awlaki.In a briefing on Aug. 3, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs joined the battle. Ari Shapiro, a reporter for National Public Radio, asked: "Should Americans worry that if they go overseas, their own government could target them to be killed?"
"Let's be clear about Anwar Al Awlaki, okay?" snapped Gibbs in response. "The United States hasn't decided that Anwar Al Awlaki is aligned with a terrorist group. Anwar Al Awlaki has in videos cast his lot with Al Qaeda and its extremist allies. Anwar Al Awlaki is acting as a regional commander for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. So let's not take a tourist that might visit Italy overseas and equate him to somebody who has on countless times in video pledged to uphold and support the violent and murderous theories of Al Qaeda."
Later, he repeated the White House position in response to another question: "I will repeat that Anwar Al Awlaki is someone who has sworn allegiance to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, is a regional commander for that group in Yemen, has and continues to direct attacks there and, as we know, against innocent men, women and children in this country. And this President will take the steps necessary to keep our country safe from thugs like him."
The Awlaki lawsuit will proceed and is likely to be thrown out in a fairly low-level court. The ACLU, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Nasser Al Awlaki are all acting according to their convictions and mandates. The administration is proceeding according to its mandate. The debate will no doubt continue.
But while the case proceeds in the courts, there is certainly one legal measure the United States can definitely take: strip Al Awlaki of his citizenship. This would at least remove the complication of Al Awlaki's being a US citizen. This is do-able and it should certainly be done with dispatch. As Gibbs noted, Al Awlaki has sworn allegiance to Al Qaeda and jihad; he certainly should not have any further legal ties to the United States or any protections whatsoever as an American citizen.
Another measure that should be taken is to declare Al Awlaki a traitor. There is certainly a precedent for this. Adam Gadhan, another American citizen who swore allegiance to Al Qaeda and took on a prominent role as an Al Qaeda spokesman, has been charged with treason and is being sought on that charge. Al Awlaki has provided plenty of grounds for a charge of treason. He should be indicted for it and stripped of his citizenship. And then he should be hunted down and neutralized by whatever means necessary.