On the recordMarch 6, 2013
Yes. Mr. President, the idea of combating lethal force I think is questioned by very few, if anybody. If planes are flying into the Twin Towers, we obviously send up F-16s. We have missiles. We do whatever we can to stop an attack on America. What I am concerned about--the same way if it is a domestic terrorist. If there is someone outside the Capitol with a grenade launcher, we do not give them Miranda rights. We kill them. That is the way it works. If you are exerting lethal force against American soldiers anywhere in the world or in our country, you use lethal force to stop that. Sometimes you cannot stop to even ask permission from Congress. You do that. Imminent threats are repulsed. But because of all the drone attacks--and I am not saying they are necessarily wrong the way they are done--it is just that they are done at people who are not in the middle of a battle. So if we transfer that to America, I do not think that is acceptable for America. It is a different debate on whether it is always a good idea, whether we should do it, what the rules should be overseas. But the rules we have currently I do not think are appropriate for the United States.
