Undisclosed Death Squads vs the Patriots-Kill-the-Bad-Guys program

The confirmation that (as should have been obvious) the Bush administration's numerous references to the surveillance program called the TSP (for "Trust us, our Surveillance is Perfectly justified") was a narrowly-parsed term designed to conceal the existence of more extensive programs has launched a new round of obfuscation masquerading as revelation.

The WSJ is quoting "former intelligence officials" as claiming that the

...Central Intelligence Agency initiative terminated by Director Leon Panetta was an attempt to carry out a 2001 presidential authorization to capture or kill al Qaeda operatives...

Marcy Wheeler doesn't buy that - and I hope she's not the only one.

Aside from the near ubiquitous drone strikes, which seem to be fully acknowledged and non-controversial, there have been enough personal strikes against al Qaeda figures that appear likely to have been assassinations, that for all intents and purposes, it appears we are assassinating al Qaeda figures.

She goes on to point out that the executive order that purports to ban assassinations can (if you believe the Bush administration) be freely ignored at the whim of the president, without altering the orignal order, or notifying anyone.

Somehow, I don't think Leon Panetta and the Dems are going to the mat over whether or not the CIA should be hunting al Qaeda. That's a little too tidy - don't you think?

Much like the TERRORIST suveilance program was advanced as a perfectly justified (never mind how often we keep hearing how many of our private conversations were hoovered up) we are now being told that the previously undisclosed initiative was intended to kill the bad guys.

Of course it was - but something tells me it isn't as cut and dried as that. Can we at long last avoid surrendering to the terms of those who wish to mislead us? Can we define something by what we know it to be, rather than what its defenders would prefer we call it?

Pretty please?

Late edit: the spin's velocity keeps increasing. Here's the AP parroting the same line (emphasis mine):

A secret intelligence program canceled by CIA Director Leon Panetta in June was meant to find and then capture or kill al-Qaida leaders at close range rather than target them with air strikes that risked civilian casualties, government officials with knowledge of the operation said Monday.

Yes, the program that was kept from Congress - caused such a flap in the DOJ - and was immediately halted by the incoming CIA director was designed to kill our enemies and save innocent life.

I'm totally buying that at face value.