White House considers military trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

By GottaLaff

I'm one of the progressives mentioned in this piece that would not be happy if Obama flips on this one:

White House advisers are considering recommending alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be tried in a military court instead of a civilian one in New York City, a senior administration official told CNN on Friday.

In November, Attorney General Eric Holder announced his intention to try Mohammed in a New York civilian court. [...]

Progressive activists blasted the potential administration switch.

"If this stunning reversal comes to pass, President Obama will deal a death blow to his own Justice Department, not to mention American values," said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"If the president flip-flops and retreats to the Bush military commissions, he will betray his campaign promise to restore the rule of law, demonstrate that his principles are up for grabs and lose all credibility with Americans who care about justice and the rule of law."

Romero is right. Military trials, as I've said a million times, allow hearsay evidence and false testimony given after having been tortured into submission.

And why is there so little confidence in our legal system? We've handled terrorists in criminal court before with success. Why is this time difference? The BushCo politics of fear is making a big comeback.

We are a nation of laws, not a nation of tortured laws. President Obama needs to stick to his word and adhere to American principles.