Cantor offers support for administration’s drone program

While promising that Republicans won't abandon their oversight role, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on Sunday expressed support for the Obama administration's use of drones.

In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Mr. Cantor, Virginia Republican, said he and his colleagues soon will be "getting into examining" a recent Justice Department memo stating it's legal to use drones to target U.S. citizens in extreme circumstances. That memo was first obtained by NBC News last week.

But while Mr. Cantor and others surely will review the constitutional ramifications of the memo, the No. 2 Republican in the House backed drone strikes as an alternative to putting American forces in harm's way.

"Suffice it to say, we have a terrorist threat out there. Islamist extremists are out there still trying to kill Americans and go after what we stand for in this world," Mr. Cantor said. "If we're going to continue to be the leading force for peace, prosperity and security in this world, we're going to have to have the tools necessary to do so ... we can strike that balance to protect America, to employ technologies to do that, and at the same time, upholding constitutional rights.

© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.