The American People Can Be - And

The American People Can Be - And Deserve To Be - Assured That Actions Taken In Their Defense Are Consistent With Their Values And Their Laws.

Whether It Is An Attempt To Bomb The New York City Subway System, An Attempt To Bring Down An Airplane Over Detroit, An Attempt To Set Off A Bomb In Times Square ... I Think That Gives Us A Sense Of The Breadth Of The Challenges That We Face, And The Kinds Of Things That Our Enemy Is Trying To Do.

It Is Possible, I Supposed, To Imagine An Extraordinary Circumstance In Which It Would Be Necessary And Appropriate Under The Constitution And Applicable Laws Of The United States For The President To Authorize The Military To Use Lethal Force Within The Territory Of The United States.

Any Decision To Use Lethal Force Against A United States Citizen - Even One Intent On Murdering Americans And Who Has Become An Operational Leader Of Al-qaida In A Foreign Land - Is Among The Gravest That Government Leaders Can Face.

I'm A Hard Headed Lawyer.