Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Melissa Harris-Perry was alarmed over President Obama's drone policy on Saturday, lamenting the country's "perpetual war state" and alleging that Obama has expanded some of policies put in place by George W. Bush.
The MSNBC host was reacting to a controversial Justice Department white paper, which says that the U.S. can legally order the killing of Americans if they are suspected of being senior Al Qaeda members. Harris-Perry noted that while on-the-ground fighting in Iraq has largely ended, she said that there are still special forces units and drone strikes being carried out in war zones — a development she said indicated the country's never-ending state of war.
"The perpetual war state ignited in response to the September 11th attacks has become an institutional apparatus that needs no particular provocation," Harris-Perry said, adding that kill lists and "imminent threat" have become "entrenched protocols" since 2001. "Counterterrorism policies put into place under President George Bush have been continued and robustly expanded under President Obama," she alleged.
Harris-Perry alleged that despite Obama's calls for the contrary, his administration has largely institutionalized "perpetual war."
"While we can be pretty sure that a mere territorial dispute will not lead our troops back into the trenches, the expansion of what counts as a justification for preemptive strike — we are left asking, what will get us out of war?" she said.
Related
Before You Go
