Update: But, How? KSM To Be Tried By Military Tribunal?

Update: Melissa Clouthier offers more analysis:

A couple thoughts: First, there is the assumption flying around Twitter that Attorney General Holder made this decision on his own and that Obama will roll the bus over him for this ill-advised decision. Personally, I think President Obama new and agreed. That doesn’t mean that Holder won’t be the sacrificial lamb. It does mean that Obama’s initial decision to try KSM in New York was political and now, the one to give him a military trial is also political.

This is a bad joke, right? But given that the plan is still to bring them into the US, how are they going to avoid the civilian courts? Once they come into the country, their lawyers will go hog wild. Add to that that some of their former representation now works at DOJ, how this doesn't end up looking like a colossal circus is above my pay grade.

If Obama accepts the likely recommendation of his advisers, the White House may be able to secure from Congress the funding and legal authority it needs to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and replace it with a facility within the United States. The administration has failed to meet a self-imposed one-year deadline to close Guantanamo.

The administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the president's legal advisers are finalizing their review of the cases of Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators. Asked about the process, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that "no decisions have been made."

Privately, administration officials are bracing for the ire of disappointed liberals and even some government lawyers should the administration back away from promises to use civilian courts to adjudicate the cases of some of the 188 detainees who remain at Guantanamo.

Comments

[Huey]

There are some sane people at Justice. Just none at the top.

[memomachine]

Hmmmm.

In life some wounds are self-inflicted. Sometimes intentionally but mostly by accident. Often with power tools in the hands of weekend HGTV fans, sometimes firearms in awful circumstances that shatter families and end lives.

And sometimes the tool used is a gatling gun aimed right at the users foot.

[buckjohnson]

Everyone with sense and wisdom knew that this was Holder's decision. As it should have been. The AG is an independent office. 2nd, the people in Manhattan want the trial there. Cost is the issue, and has always been the only issue. Third, this is why Pres. Obama does not listen to teabaggers, bloggers, etc... You can't satisfy people who dislike you for reasons other than ideology.

Finally, I re-read the Sermon on the Mount this morning. It is such a beautiful commentary on turning the other cheek, how one should not be judgmental, how peace/forgiveness is the answer, to pray for and love our enemies, to not worry about tomorrow, to reject materialism etc.. This seems lie a perfect statement about conservatives, who always are mischaracterizing folks, calling people out of their name, to judge other motivations, (which they are usually wrong), to kill and maim so- call enemies, to seek materialistic enjoyment no matter the cost to those who are without, to have all these irrational fears about people who lives in caves and who number less than a thousand, to proffer crazy theories and erroneous suppositions and speculations that when proven wrong, offer no indication of being humbled and wrong, but continue to be arrogant and...wrong. Maybe it is me, but to be humble and meek seems too more biblical than to be arrogant and cruel...and wrong.

[Lala]

Keep turning the other cheek while others give their lives to defend you. BTW, no kind, caring person would use the term "teabaggers".

The majority of the people of Manhattan do not want the trial there.

[Dan Riehl]

If you keep turning the other cheek, buck johnson, eventually you'll get tired of bucking those johnsons, or learn to like it. So, go for it.

As for me, I got tossed out of Sunday school as a kid, but got right with God in my own way and time. So, I'm not really moved by whatever spin you wish to put on a particular piece of divine prose.

[Huey]

Yeah. Someone who serves at the pleasure of the President makes unilateral decisions which have enormous political consequence to the President.

Sure. Happens all the time.

[archer52]

This is an example of the pretzel liberal twist themselves into when their righteous theories run into the real world reality. Square peg, round hole.

It will only get worse.

[buckjohnson]

Huey.. Happens all the time.

LaLa, you can call it what you like, but forgiveness and being humble are critical spirutual thesis Try them sometime.

LaLa.. I was born in NJ, my family lives in Brooklyn, Manhattan voted over 90% for Kerry (shows state of mind and the will of the people to not fall for the false security meme put out by Bush)..etc.. I would say that I could speak, slightly, for Manhattan. If you knew about us, it is not the fear of cave dwellers that concerns us. It is the cost of the trial. We are not fearful folks, with all the vermin, traffic, violence, mental instability a person has to face living in NYC on the daily, cave dwellers and international criminals will hardly faze us.

[buckjohnson]

Dan, was not spin, just an early morning spirtual crisis I was encoutering , and I turned to the one source with all the answers.

[Jimbo]

Oh, the cost of the trial. That is what you cowards are using as an excuse? That is the excuse you are going with? That is the excuse the world will accept? I don't think so.

The cost? Bush speant 1 tillion dollars screwing up our world and you think the cost of a trial is going to cover your evidence of be scared of brown people? No it won't. We have tried, and convicted, too many other criminals to let you cowards change the way our country operates. True cowards, all of you. Plus you don't even have the good conscience to admit what your problem is. And to think the whole world thought New Yorkers were tough and resolute - now, not so much. Run away!!! Brown people!!! Cowards, all of you.

[mojo]

What happens when you run out of cheeks? Do you bend over and offer them some more?

Trial, hell. Shoot the bastard and dump the corpse in the East River.