I disagree but I’m glad born-again constructionists are troubled by the president’s authorization of the murder of a U.S. citizen. The killing of al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki was, in fact, a violation of the Fifth Amendment and such things shouldn’t be taken lightly.

That doesn’t mean it was wrong.

*”[I]f the American people accept this blindly and casually that we now have an accepted practice of the president assassinating people who he thinks are bad guys, I think it’s sad,” said Libertarian gadfly Ron Paul.

Keep in mind al-Awlaki had declared war against his birth country, just like the 750,000 soldiers who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Not one of the 258,000 Rebel soldiers killed by Union troops received their due process. Wars aren’t decided on principle, and had the framers foreseen the likes of al-Awlaki they might well have included an exception to the Fifth.

Regardless, I think the Republic will survive. Al-Qadea may not.

*As for Paul’s claim that al-Awlaki was “assassinated,” I defer to Chris Rock.