It’s not a bad idea to have the discussion about killing an American citizen without due process. This does raise some uncomfortable issues about the limits of presidential power, since Obama reportedly personally ordered this drone attack.

But it’s absurd to bring up the “slippery slope” argument here. Anwar al-Awlaki was at war with the United States. He may not have been officially stripped of citizenship, but he clearly renounced his own citizenship by joining a terrorist organization dedicated to mass murder.

There’s no reason to think President Obama is going to go rogue and start killing everyone who disagrees with him. I’m not troubled by taking out declared enemies of this country before they can murder anyone else.