Wild claims by anti-drone activists dominate the conversation, since the CIA and military have an official policy of not commenting on drone strikes. Average U.S. citizens cannot talk to drone pilots to find out whom they are killing based on what intelligence and why. However, recently, at a conference on drones at Boston College, I got the extraordinary opportunity to do just that.

It appears we will be engaged in the terrorist war for a long time, and drones are a useful weapon. But we cannot win wars from the air, and we need to keep in mind -- we need to seriously consider -- the consequences of using drones. Every bit of "collateral damage" we inflict creates deep-seated bitterness against us that will linger long after the fighting abates.

One of these guys is very wrong, and neither one delivered any real context to their analyses. Each view is a kind of cartoony boardwalk caricature of the president, rather than an accurate portrayal of the real-life leader.