Ron Paul: Anwar Al-Awlaki, U.S.-Born Al-Qaeda Cleric, 'Assassinated'

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is condemning the Obama administration for killing an American born al-Qaida operative without a trial.

Paul, a Texas congressman known for libertarian views, says the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki on Yemeni soil amounts to an "assassination." Paul warned the American people not to casually accept such violence against U.S. citizens, even those with strong ties to terrorism.

Anwar al-Awlaki was considered one of the most influential al-Qaida operatives wanted by the United States. U.S. and Yemen officials say he was killed in a U.S. air strike targeting his convoy Friday morning.

Paul made the comments to reporters after a campaign stop Friday at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. He said America's leaders must think hard about "assassinating American citizens without charges."

Comments

[Alan Wehmer]

07:19 PM on 10/06/2011

My first thought when (I heard) Ron Paul said that was he was driving a nail in his political coffin............after more research, I'm inclined to at least understand where he's coming from. From my experience, most prosecutors will get a "guilty" verdict regardless of the truth or "Justice" or anything else, so it would be difficult for me to EVER be convinced "beyond a reasonable doubt." And, as damning as the evidence was against this guy, I think "they" should have held a "Trial" in absentia, found him guilty and THEN put out the "Dead or Alive" Poster.

Back to my favorite pick.....sadly, the Republicans will never pick (Ron Paul) as their nominee............too bad, there'd be a LOT of Democrats that would vote for him, too. After all, he was originally a Libertarian, which is what most truly sane Dems & Reps are "under their voter registrations................"

[ryanraymond321]

05:59 AM on 10/06/2011

Yeah I don't think any president should be able to kill who ever he or she wants, but when a citizen leaves and turns on his home country to join an organization who has openly declared war on us, planned and carried out an attack that killed almost 3,000 people, had parts in the Fort Hood attacks and the failed underwear bombings, writes, propagandizes, trains, and equips people to carry out new attacks against the US and encourages attacks on civilians goes through all this, I think he should no longer be considered a citizen and should be bombed to oblivion a dozen times over.

[moogybaby]

10:28 AM on 10/04/2011

Obama is quickly catching up to Arafat as world's bloodiest Nobel Peace Prize winner.

[john whalen]

08:57 PM on 10/03/2011

Impeach the POTUS!!!

[Inez Tyler]

09:06 PM on 10/02/2011

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
---- Benjamin Franklin.

[HolyMoses]

02:42 PM on 10/11/2011

We gave it up during WW2 and it came back in spades. So let's cut out the B.S.

[ImWideAwake]

04:37 PM on 10/02/2011

Mr Al-Awaki dined at the Pentagon after 9/11. In 2002 the Justice Dept issued a warrant for Mr Al-Awaki arrest. He was still able to gain access to the US despite the warrant. He was released from custody on the instructions of an FBI agent? What exactly was going on here?

[Inez Tyler]

07:12 PM on 10/02/2011

Interesting.

[Binea]

12:52 AM on 10/03/2011

very good question..maybe he was an agent for us who knew too much ? this is NOT GOOD

[bllnsinchnge]

04:37 PM on 10/02/2011

We need to redefine what a War on Terror is? The first US declared war against a behavior.

I believe I heard a bunch of Oakland Raider fans saying they wanted to kill the Patriots today. Should we send in some drones with missiles over the SF bay?

This guy wasn't on a shooting spree, he was uploading web content. Big difference. I want to see us exercising arrest warrants instead of missile attacks over foreign soil. Our CIA or Special Forces should be working together with Yemen to extradite this guy however necessary.

If an Iranian revolutionary and wanted murderer was living on Staten Island would it be ok for the Iranians to bomb him over US soil????

This guy needed to be brought to justice

[Binea]

12:54 AM on 10/03/2011

THIS Needs a FULL investigation..but who in government will do it..they are ALL BOUGHT or scared sheeeetless

[Inez Tyler]

03:55 PM on 10/02/2011

All of you liberals who say this extrajudicial killing was a-ok would have been bleeding from your eyes if Bush did it. It’s all good as long as YOUR chosen warmonger does it, right?

HYPOCRITES!!

You people make me sick. You have no morals. And you have the same amount of blood on your hands as the neo-cons. Congratulations!

[Stevede]

08:44 PM on 10/02/2011

You are exactly right!!

Anyone who condones this is a sick wretched pathetic excuse for a human, and 100% immoral hypocrites!

Fanned and Faved

[Larz99]

01:02 PM on 10/03/2011

Yes, Thank you. I voted for Obama, but no matter who does it this is wrong. Even Reagen banned the CIA from assassination.

[had410]

12:35 PM on 10/02/2011

Before you criticize Ron Paul, you should take 15 minutes to watch this and you will understand what he is talking about.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnem1Ohm3Q0&feature=youtu.be

[had410]

01:36 PM on 10/02/2011

and then this, unfreakinbelievable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6bgwZGZiIo&feature=youtu.be

[Brian Beach]

11:11 AM on 10/02/2011

Presidential candidate Ron Paul weighs in the killing of Anwar Al-Awlaki.
He's complaining that the U.S. born cleric who has ties to al-Qaeda wasn't given his due process. He slams President Barack Obama for advocating a "target kill" on the spiritual adviser who inspired a young man attempt to blow up a commercial airplane and then a military officer who attacked his own members in Fort Hood, Texas.
That's funny, Paul didn't complain about President George W. Bush's 2002 target killing of Kamal Derwish, an American who was killed in Yemen.
What Paul says will not to appeal to Republicans! Especially the ones he wants to court for the Republican nomination. This becomes an issue as well as a big setback to his stance on how to defend the United States from domestic and international terrorism.
Sure his core base of fanatics will flock to comments pages like this one and say that's he's always right and every other comment is irrelevant. Ron Paul can't do wrong, his followers say!
Anyways, Paul will not get the nomination, and his core fanatics will troll the internet for comments attacking his stances.
They'll get into trivial debates over how the media never covers him, make claims that it's people like me that are uninformed or dependent on some perceived government handouts. Of course they'll never learn!
People are awaken to the extremist rhetoric this man and his son Rand Paul say on television, radio and the blogs.

[Freedom and Peace]

12:57 AM on 10/03/2011

The truth hurts you...

http://tinyurl.com/3pzf6zz

I understand.

[Binea]

01:14 AM on 10/03/2011

oh come on..I DARE you ...actually I will PAY you $ 500.00 to prove Ron Paul EVER lied to us, or that he is an untrustworthy in any way
and since WHEN was "liberty" extreamist rhetoric ? Since when was economic sanity and ending a 10 year pointless war extream ? Did you know Ron Paul has more in active duty Military donations than ALLthecandidatesCOMBINED,not only This time..but even back in 08 ?
go here to find out the rules to win that $500.00..if you win you can give it to Obama so he can continue to be abused by Gitner ,who I believe is really playing dictator right now ( not that he needs YOURmeasily$500,when he has bankers backing him )
why do you support a man who did the exact opposite of what he was voted in to do ? think about it.

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for diner; Liberty, is a well armed Lamb contesting the decision" Ben Franklin;
(Arm yourselves with REAL information, NOT what the corporate owned media and press decide to feed us)
They pay thousands of dollars to study groups to discover what it is we want to hear, then they go out and say it, but, when elected they do the opposite. Time for us to STUDY them, find those we can trust. I found RonPaul. We are willing to put our money where our mouth is.

http://undercurrentaffairs.com/whois/ronpaul.htm

[cbread99]

05:16 AM on 10/02/2011

thats a tricky stance. i agree with coyote50 that if were at war with someone why does killing them have to be classified as assassination but also this man did repeatedly state how he felt and would like to do to us.either way you feel on the matter its a double edge sword. i wish some how ron paul could have left the subject alone. because i know its going to hurt his candidacy but i respect him for speaking how he felt and i will vote for him.as

[lulu2010]

04:07 AM on 10/02/2011

Again, my admiration for Dr Ron Paul overwhelms me. He's willing to challenge us with the uncomfortable truths even during an election cycle when he should be most sensitive to making controversial statements, but not Dr Ron Paul. Can there be any doubt who will bring real change to America? The last statesman.

[Skull Bone]

01:32 AM on 10/02/2011

Americans have official lost their freedom. Its not that Americans are stupid its that they are blinded by fear. 9/11 was not caused because We The People who are free. AMERICANS WERE *NOT* AT FAULT FOR 9/11. IT WAS THE FAULT OF THE ELECTED OFFICALS AND *THEIR* OPRESSIONS ABROAD WAS THE DIRECT CAUSE. Across the world people want to live like Americans even muslims... dont be fooled. ...American is now offically a monarch... monarchs have killed their own people many times and it is quite possible history will start again.

[Jessica Ustaszewski]

01:13 AM on 10/02/2011

On one hand, he was a terrorist....
On the other, he could've been caught and tried.....

Well...if we gave Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway trials...

[Juliawerck]

11:27 PM on 10/01/2011

I am sure all the victims of 9/11 families are all crying over this.

[The commonman]

12:09 AM on 10/02/2011

you are assuming he was guilty. in our legal system, we presume innocence, not guilt. otherwhise, our government could declare you or anyone else a terrorist and have them assasinnated.

[Juliawerck]

12:34 AM on 10/02/2011

"You are assuming. No, I am not assuming a thing. I am agreeing with our President.
Since when did you become a citizen of Yemen? If you like it so much GO

[Juliawerck]

10:39 PM on 10/02/2011

Your forgetting Bush starting two wars bombing Countries. Killing over 6000 US Soldiers and injuring thousands more. Wars that will never be won.
That is their legacy. All of them should rot in jail.

[Skull Bone]

01:26 AM on 10/02/2011

Bin Laden is dead. Your 9/11 association is worthless because all involved is dead.

[ryanraymond321]

02:39 PM on 10/02/2011

All initially involved are dead, but not those who will be involved in future attacks.

[Juliawerck]

04:35 PM on 10/02/2011

Their families are not you jackas@ FYI Go take your Diazepam 50mg qid and h.s.