Reality wins again: KSM to be tried by military tribunal

CBS News: Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and his four alleged co-conspirators will be tried in a military commission, as the CBS News Investigative Unit reported earlier today. A source tells CBS News the commission will be held at the Guantanamo Bay prison.

Today's announcement represents a pronounced shift in the administration's handling of terrorism cases. Trying Mohammad in a civilian court and closing the Guantanamo prison were once some of the Obama administration's top priorities, but political realities have hamstrung both goals.

Holder said today that he still believes the federal court system would have provided the best court system. The Justice Department today unsealed the indictment against the accused 9/11 plotters in December 2009, which Holder said revealed "we were prepared to bring a powerful case against Khalid Sheikh Mohammad."

"I continue to think the Article 3 courts are the best place to bring" the accused terrorists to trial, he said. However, he added, justice for the victims of 9/11 has been "long overdue and must not be delayed any further." [MORE]

So Gitmo won't be closing and KSM will not get a civilian trial. Reality 2, Obama administration 0. Closing Gitmo and holding civilian trials for enemy combatants were never really doable. There were some very sticky issues that made doing both pretty much impossible.

I think the main reason the left took to these ideas had more to do with being reflexively anti-Bush rather than a thoughtful position. If Bush was for A, the the left was for B. Standing in opposition to everything is easy to do when you are not in the drivers seat. However, when you are forced to live with the consequences and actually attempt the executions of these opposing ideas, reality starts to intrude.

Despite the setback the left will feel over this, I doubt it will hurt Obama with his base. If anything, giving up civilian trials may help Obama with independents.

The real sad part about all of this is the complete waste of time and money spent trying to bring a bad idea to life.

Via: Memeorandum
Via: CBS News