Change we can believe in

It's all so different from what it was before: the President of the USA is not spending huge amounts of taxpayer money on his cronies, he's not pissing money away on meaningless pork barrel projects, he's closed Gitmo ... yes, it's all so very different.

But now the Nobel Peace Prize winner has taken a bold step that will have Dubya smacking his forehead and asking himself: "Why didn't I think of that?"

He has publicly authorised the murder of a US citizen. This is, as far as I'm aware, an entirely unprecedented move. I'm sure the government of the US has killed annoying citizens before, but they've never openly done this.

Fortunately, it's one of those dusky, foreign looki... uh... anyway, he's a terrorist, definitely. Look, here's the proof:

He gained prominence after it emerged that he had been in frequent e-mail contact with Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the army psychiatrist who went on a shooting rampage in Fort Hood, Texas, in which 13 people died last November. After the Christmas Day airliner plot, US and Yemeni officials said that Mr al-Awlaki had met the suspected bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to ignite explosives sewn into his underwear.

Yes! He's sent some emails to someone and it's alleged that he's met someone else. And he's said lots of things that the POTUS doesn't like to hear. On that basis, I'm sure nobody else in America has anything that they need to worry about.

There is no way that this could be interpreted as a warning to "right-minded" citizens of the USA to calm down on their criticism of the government, lest they suddenly find themselves associated with a couple of people who have suddenly found themselves facing a show trial, nudge, nudge, narmean?

And I, of course, am not reminded in the slightest of the authoritarian New Labour project. It's becoming clear to me that Obamalamadingdong is nothing like the amoral, unprincipled, vacuous control freak, Tony Blair.

What America needs is more Hope like this! It's a Change anyone can believe in!

Tip of the clown wig to the ASI.