Ever since Dennis Blair revealed that there’s a procedure within the Obama administration for killing American citizens during counterterrorist operations, I’ve been thinking about the complexities of the circumstances envisioned. As a basic proposition, Glenn Greenwald is right: it’s unacceptable to set the standard for the killing of an American citizen at “the government says he’s a danger.” Anwar al-Awlaki, for instance, is an American citizen who supposedly provides encitement and encouragement to jihadis to kill Americans. Assume it’s all true (as I do). That is more than enough to warrant his arrest and trial. But is it enough to warrant his summary execution? I can’t accept that.