It was difficult to understand, or justify, the tactical or moral rationale in some of the strikes.
"The moral rationale for taking steps to end the deaths and suffering in Syria, after five years of brutal war, is evident and unquestionable," it said.
Speaking at the National Defense University, Obama used his first televised address since military operations began in Libya nine days ago to outline a moral rationale for intervention in civil conflicts such as the push underway to topple Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi.
And since a September 2011 drone strike deliberately killed an American citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, who had joined Al Qaeda in Yemen, the legal and moral rationale for such strikes has been hotly debated.
Many of the icons of non-violent protest cited by protesters – Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks – were successful not simply because of the moral gravity of their protest but because their protests were rooted in a wider story of grievance, with clear stories of injustice, moral rationale for their acts of refusal, and deeply linked to their own communities.
Kirk had a moral rationale for the Trinity project — development brings money and jobs to the city, jobs bring families that will eventually invest themselves in the city's decaying schools, and so on — but the outcome ultimately depended on his ability to negotiate and cut deals.
Finally, we should remember that doing nothing about climate change will lead to severe economic disruptions resulting from sea-level rise, drought, extreme weather events, and forest fires, which will generate an economic, environmental, and moral rationale for being aggressive on climate policy.
Along the way, Hubbard's compensation package was increased, an obligation that had no legal or moral rationale.
He also reported that individuals can only come to an understanding of a moral rationale one stage above their own.
Are we providing moral rationale to frustrated individuals in our society to justify their actions against innocents that in hindsight should deserve no greater credit than rape?
