> It will probably even cost less than sending a drone with a hellfire attached
First of all, I think you under-estimate the financial cost of highly trained military personnel.
Secondly, there's a metric ton of political capital at stake when the special forces are called in. The US may be more de-sensitized to loss of life than pre-911, but it's still a Big Deal(tm). The decision to send in warm bodies is not taken lightly, in large part because failures can be catastrophic and quite public.
> there's a metric ton of political capital at stake
I'm not disagreeing but killing American citizens without due process goes 100% against the fabric of our Constitution. Every special forces member I have met has a fervent desire to support and uphold the document that makes this country great. If we have enough intelligence to target this person with a drone, in my opinion, we probably have enough to send in a team to grab him.
> The decision to send in warm bodies is not taken lightly, in large part because failures can be catastrophic and quite public.
I think this statement holds true for both a drone assassination and sending in US personnel to capture an enemy combatant. Neither should be taken lightly.
I'm not disagreeing with what should be the case, but the current reality is that the decision to use drones in lethal strikes is taken far more lightly than any equivalent measure using conventional or special forces.
First of all, I think you under-estimate the financial cost of highly trained military personnel.
Secondly, there's a metric ton of political capital at stake when the special forces are called in. The US may be more de-sensitized to loss of life than pre-911, but it's still a Big Deal(tm). The decision to send in warm bodies is not taken lightly, in large part because failures can be catastrophic and quite public.