War is hell: A defense of the Obama Administration's policy regarding drones

Part 1 of 2.

Anwar  Al-Awlaki, US citizen and accused Al Qaida operative
killed by US drone attack in Yemen on September 30, 2011

You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it [...] -William Tecumseh Sherman

This week, the Obama Administration released to the Senate Intelligence Committee a white paper (PDF) analyzing:

the U.S. government['s] use [of] lethal force in a foreign country outside the area of active hostilities against a U.S. citizen who is a senior operational leader of al-Qa'ida or an associated force of al--Qa'ida

Many people who I respect have severely criticized this white paper and its reasoning. While I have in mind much of the criticism, I do not intend to make a specific response to any particular criticism in this two part essay.

Instead, I will analyze the policy, as described in the white paper, considering the following: (1) the Constitution; (2) the laws of the United States; (3) international law; (4) the laws of war; and (5) my untrained assessment of the efficacy of the policy in the fight against Islamic extremism.

This analysis will be lengthy, detailed and will travel deep into the weeds. If interested, follow me below the squiggle and look for Part 2 later this week.