Drones are Effective Against Al Qaeda Leaders

A quote from the Wall Street Journal describes one bright spot in Th U.S. war against terrorists (whatever TeamObama chooses to call it). Drone technology is good and getting better. The article also contains this quote: "Able to go where American soldiers can't, the Predator and Reaper have since 9/11 killed more than half of the 20 most wanted al Qaeda suspects, the Uzbek, Yemeni and Pakistani heads of allied groups and hundreds of militants. Most of those hits were in the last four years."

This capability is a very effective weapon and keeps Al Qaeda leadership from moving freely. We should use it as often as it will be effective. Collateral damage, while frustrating and difficult, can be mostly avoided because of the precision of these weapons. However, If 'civilians' choose or are forced to be close to these evil radical Islamists, then some will, unfortunately, die. This is a fact of life in warfare of any kind. President Obama would be wise to continue describing our war against Islamic radicals intent on destroying us as...a WAR. They will not be won over by our choice of words.

"The Obama Administration has with good reason taken flak for its approach to terrorism since the Christmas Day near-bombing over Detroit. So permit us to laud an antiterror success in the Commander in Chief's first year in office.

Though you won't hear him brag about it, President Obama has embraced and ramped up the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones. As tactic and as a technology, drones are one of the main U.S. advantages that have emerged from this long war. (IEDs are one of the enemy's.) Yet their use isn't without controversy, and it took nerve for the White House to approve some 50 strikes last year, exceeding the total in the last three years of the Bush Administration.

Associated Press

Supporters of Pakistani Labour Party rally against the United States and drone attacks on militants in Pakistani tribal areas along the Afghanistan border.

From Pakistan to Yemen, Islamic terrorists now fear the Predator and its cousin, the better-armed Reaper. So do critics on the left in the academy, media and United Nations; they're calling drones an unaccountable tool of "targeted assassination" that inflames anti-American passions and kills civilians. At some point, the President may have to defend the drone campaign on military and legal grounds."