In February 1976, President Ford signed Executive Order 12333, which stated “no person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination.” This order followed the discovery that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate Cuban president Fidel Castro and other persons perceived to be threats to national security. More than two decades later, debate has been raised as to whether Executive Order 12333 should be circumvented, in light of the actions of terrorists such as Osama Bin Ladin, the alleged mastermind behind the August 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Some analysts argue that assassinating Bin Ladin and other terrorist leaders is justifiable, while others contend that assassinations are immoral and could potentially lead to further attacks against the United States.

Those...