I'm convinced that the executive decision to kill Anwar al-Awlaki has not received nearly the amount of press that it should. The Justice Department memo justifying this decision should not be boiled down, but neither should it be underestimated. The idea that the government can kill citizens based on how difficult it would be to capture them sets a pretty powerful precedent, regardless of how narrowly the memo's authors would like it to be read. It's clear that the lines between the rules of war and the laws of the US are being further strained regardless of which party controls the White House.