Andy McCarthy at The Corner at National Review posted a commentary about the move by the Obama Administration toward using military commissions for terrorist trials. The administration has recommended a military commission for the USS Cole bombers.
Mr. McCarthy points out that the agenda here is to seem to make a concession to the people who support military trials in exchange for the concessions that will allow the administration to close Guantanamo without too much opposition. Senator Lindsey Graham is attempting to broker a deal seeking reciprocal compromise from the conservative side.
Mr. McCarthy further states:
"Sen. Graham and others will tell you such an outcome will be a great victory for national security conservatives who think terrorists should be tried by commission. Don't buy it. The deal would be a great victory for the terrorists. As I argued here, it would significantly increase the threat to U.S. military bases and geometrically increase the likelihood that federal judges will order that trained terrorists be released in the United States. There is no excuse for taking on these risks given that Gitmo is a top-flight, completely secure facility. It makes no sense to horse-trade when Obama was being pushed toward military commissions by reality."
I think we need to look at history to find our way in dealing with matters involving treatment of terrorists. These are not uniformed soldiers--they are terrorists. During World War II, they would have been tried in a military court and swiftly executed if found guilty. We have chosen to be more compassionate. That's nice, but we don't need to bring terrorists into America on purpose. We are not dealing with people who can be reformed--the Saudi re-education program for terrorists has provided Al Qaeda with a lot of its overseas leadership. Guantanamo is a secure place where the prisoners are treated better than they would be in their home countries. It serves a purpose, and we need to keep it open.
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