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Carter Takes Issue with Obama Drone Policy

'I would like to see some restraints put on [drone strikes]'

February 22, 2013

President Jimmy Carter said his biggest disappointment of President Obama's first term was the failure of the administration to "move forward on matters concerning human rights" Thursday on CNN. Carter went on to critique President Obama's drone policy, arguing the need for more institutional restraints on strikes involving American citizens:

PIERS MORGAN: Are any drone attacks acceptable?

JIMMY CARTER: I can't disavow all drone attacks, but I would really like to see some intermediate step, maybe not in the federal government, but in the executive branch, if not -- I would prefer federal government first, where a judge would say, okay, let's see if this American citizen, say living in Yemen or Mali, that you want to assassinate without trial -- if that's a justified act if they prove it, go ahead with it. But for a -- I think now it just says a distinguished American or authoritative American, it could likely be the president or somebody else, to be able to say we'll kill that particular person, because we believe that he is planning to attack America sometime in the future, I think that is too loose a description of what -- of what the situation should be.