Caving in to the Mob

[n2doc]

— By Kevin Drum| Mon Apr. 4, 2011 11:46 AM PDT
Jane Mayer on Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed and other 9/11 defendents in military tribunals instead of civilian courts:

Today’s news that K.S.M. is slated now for a military trial in the naval base at Guantánamo Bay, rather than facing a criminal trial in the civilian justice system that Holder believed was more fitting, may indeed be the defining moment for the Obama Justice Department, defining it, unfortunately, as incapable of standing up to to the political passions still stirred by the threat of terrorism.

....“History will show that the decisions we’ve made are the right ones,” After telling me that he regarded the trial as a defining event, he added, “Between now and then I suspect we’re in for some interesting times.” At his press conference today, he said, “I have to deal with the situation as I find it.”

It's a cowardly decision, and not just from Holder and Obama. There was cowardice and demagoguery aplenty in this entire sorry episode.

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/04/caving-mob

[TheWraith]

1. Oh for fuck's sake.

I find it absolutely pathetic that yet again, somebody is trying to nail Obama for not doing what others refuse to let him do. Lest anyone forget, civilian trials in the US were Obama's entire plan--if you want to talk about cowardice, let's talk about the fact that both the US Congress and the government of the city and state of New York actively worked to prevent the administration from executing any part of said plan.

It's really, really easy to sit on the sidelines and throw stones at someone, calling them "cowardly" for not doing what they have been PROHIBITED BY LAW from doing.

[Solomon]

2. +1,000

Everyday there's a new one. They're rehashing old stuff now. I hope he mismatches his socks soon so there'll be something new to gripe about.

[spanone]

3. congress blocked the civilian trials....it wasn't mr. holder's choice

[TheKentuckian]

5. Congress blocked funding for relocating Gitmo. I'd like to see what possible authority Congress has

to dictate the application of of military tribunals, to suspend Habeas Corpus, to demand indefinite detention.

Further, Obama has always stated that some of these held would have to go to tribunals due to mishandling and even has stated some can't be tried at all which means his intentions aren't that divergent from Congress. He still was going to wipe his ass with constitution just not as blatantly as has been illegally dictated by the US Congress.

[Donnachaidh]

4. notice how the phrase *“History will show"* pops up

whenever this admin, or the last one does something that goes against what the people want?