We're finally beginning to find out the due process given to Mr. Awlaki:

(Reuters) - American militants like Anwar al-Awlaki are placed on a kill or capture list by a secretive panel of senior government officials, which then informs the president of its decisions, according to officials.

There is no public record of the operations or decisions of the panel, which is a subset of the White House's National Security Council, several current and former officials said. Neither is there any law establishing its existence or setting out the rules by which it is supposed to operate.

How is this at all consistent with the rule of law? A panel of unknown members meet in secret. There are no laws or rules governing their scope of operation or procedures, nor are their decisions subject to appeal or judicial review. They make a list of Americans to be killed based on "evidence" nobody is allowed to see or test. The list makes its way by some unknown means to the president who ratifies the kill order.

I don't see how anyone can seriously argue that the US has not descended into totalitarian government. Seriously, what now differentiates the US legal system from those countries the US loves to complain about like Iran, Zimbabwe, etc.