[tptacek]

What's the other option you're thinking about?

The US cannot unilaterally revoke citizenship.

[warfangle]

I guess there's that whole extraordinary rendition / kidnapping deal, but that'd probably have a death toll in the twenties to two-hundred fifties, depending on the tactics used*

*uneducated guess, informed by video games, with no bearing on real life whatsoever

[tptacek]

"Extraordinary rendition" in al-Awlaki's case would have involved an invasion. He was hiding in a lawless province of southern Yemen controlled by AQAP.