Breaking: 9/11 masterminds to receive POW status (Update: Or will they?)
posted at 1:12 pm on September 6, 2006 by Allahpundit
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Actually, this is pretty shrewd. Superficially, Bush gets to come clean about the CIA prisons and act benevolent in granting this piece of filth POW status in one fell swoop, but what he’s really after is putting public pressure on Congress to approve military tribunals, not full courts-martial, for detainees. It’ll be a lot harder for the House and Senate to grant full due process protection to Al Qaeda prisoners now that one of the potential beneficiaries is the mastermind of 9/11 himself.
The fact is, the Supreme Court made this decision for him. He’s trying to salvage from it now whatever he can.
Update: I’m the furthest thing from an expert in the field of Geneva law, but I believe Rusty’s right: they’re not being given full POW status, only the same Article 3 protections that were granted to the Gitmo detainees in Hamdan.
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Is that Google Ad on this page for the the movie Jesus Camp real? Looks like it came from the Islamic version of the MEMRI website. (OK, just joking) but I have a feeling that this film chronicling a camp which creates “Christian Soliders” would probably have an effecdt about 180º from where it was intended.
BrunoMitchell on September 6, 2006 at 1:25 PM
I think (hope, actually) you’ve read it right–he’s forcing Congress to get off the sidelines and make an actual policy. SCOTUS forced him into this position, and he’s doing his best both to get a good policy and force the Dems into a political pickle.
Bryan on September 6, 2006 at 1:35 PM
Part of me wants them tortured slowly, humiliated, scared by dogs, the whole thing BUT..we simply cant do it and claim any moral highground.
I HATE “moral equivalence” but we also need to keep our souls. I think the Geneva Conventions are a joke when you have these monsters not in uniform and hiding in mosques, schools, neighborhoods, etc.
I hope they get the military tribunals and the Congress stands up for something..grow a backbone!
labwrs on September 6, 2006 at 1:37 PM
Will the Geneva convention give him a better fitting undershirt?
frankj on September 6, 2006 at 1:40 PM
Will the Geneva convention give him a better fitting undershirt?
Nope just a closer shave…a closer full body shave!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on September 6, 2006 at 1:54 PM
You guys my be correct (and I hope you are), but to me this a defeat, a de facto acceptance of a terrorist Bill of Rights.
I wonder what effect this will have on the troops in the field. Are they going to feel pressured to collect evidence in a firefight to get a conviction, or are our soldiers simply going to decide it is better to be judge, jury, and executioner in the field, creating a thousand more potential Hadithas?
I’m grasping for a silver lining, but it feels toxic as mercury to me.
Bob Owens on September 6, 2006 at 1:57 PM
Allah, I appreciate your spin on the situation, but i feel VERY uneasy about this. I agree with Bob – will our soldiers be compelled to act as judge, jury and executioner? my gut says ‘yes,’ unfortunately.
pullingmyhairout on September 6, 2006 at 2:00 PM
Does the geneva convention allow firing squads? Or hangings?
darwin on September 6, 2006 at 2:01 PM
I posted this on another thread but it’s more fitting here. I’m referring to talking about another jerk, whose name I can’t remember, but Khalid and his part is well documented, too.
Anyone watch “Triple Cross” on the National Geographic channel? (Buy it here.)
I watched it last night. It should be mandatory viewing for the general public.
The fact that there is not a “moderate” for Muslims is outlined well, by a Muslim. THE Muslim who fooled our Army, the CIA, and the FBI into letting him in and around our sensitive Green Beret training camps, stole our handbooks on training, used the info to train jerks at Bin Laden’s camps, and was involved in the planning of every major terrorist attack.
And who will now be given Geneva convention rights despite not wearing a uniform, or targeting the military. Sweet.
He said that it’s in the Koran- he has no say. If you are to be a Muslim, you must wage Jihad against the infidels until none are left.
As an aside, I heard that in Iraq, if you aren’t Sunni, you ain’t Shi’ite.
NTWR on September 6, 2006 at 2:14 PM
Nothing like that look of disarray these guys have when they are caught. Nice touch with Saddam’s picture (9/11 truth ad) right next to Mr. “mastermind” himself. They both have the “bedhead” look. I hear that’s big over there.
Rick on September 6, 2006 at 2:18 PM
Oh, but they did, dear Pirate; and it is fashioned from the finest fur.
Kid from Brooklyn on September 6, 2006 at 2:33 PM
Bush’s job: pester Congress
Congress’ job: make policy
SCOTUS’ job: tell Bush and Congress that they have to do their jobs, and that Bush can’t do Congress’ job for them
SCOTUS didn’t force Bush into this… this was how it should have been all along. He could have avoided a SCOTUS decision and the last minute scramble if he’d done it on his own.
Mark Jaquith on September 6, 2006 at 2:34 PM
I’m still trying to figure out how the Judicial branch has power over the military.
One Angry Christian on September 6, 2006 at 2:35 PM
Fashioned from the finest pig skin
Rick on September 6, 2006 at 2:43 PM
We’re not being beaton my world wide terrorism, we’re are being beaten by the Democrats and the leftist courts.
rplat on September 6, 2006 at 2:43 PM
Geneva allows for spies to be shot upon capture, iirc. Fighting out of uniform, terrorists can be considered spies. They’re certainly war criminals, in that they fight out of uniform, hide among civilians and target, torture and murder civilians. Geneva isn’t all Red Cross visits and name, rank and serial number. There are teeth in there. The problem is the civilized world has defanged itself.
Bryan on September 6, 2006 at 2:56 PM
Folks over in the Corner have a different take on this speech:
“The President just pulled one of the best maneuvers of his entire presidency. By transferring most major Al Qaeda terrorists to Guantanamo, and simultaneously sending Congress a bill to rescue the Military Commissions from the Supreme Court’s ruling Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, the President spectacularly ambushed the Democrats on terrain they fondly thought their own. Now Democrats who oppose (and who have vociferously opposed) the Military Commissions will in effect be opposing the prosecution of the terrorists who planned and launched the attacks of September 11 for war crimes.
And if that were not enough, the President also frontally attacked the Hamdan ruling’s potentially chilling effect on CIA extraordinary interrogation techniques, by arguing that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions is too vague, and asking Congress to define clearly the criminal law limiting the scope of permissible interrogation.
Taken as a whole, the President’s maneuver today turned the political tables completely around. He stole the terms of debate from the Democrats, and rewrote them, all in a single speech. It will be delightful to watch in coming days and hours as bewildered Democrats try to understand what just hit them, and then sort through the rubble of their anti-Bush national security strategy to see what, if anything, remains.”
jdpaz on September 6, 2006 at 3:03 PM
Well I realize that many are able to find a silver lining in this cloud (I wish I could but am glad you are able to point this out to me-honestly) I just have to ask where were the GC’s for Pvt’s Mencahca and Tucker & any other Soldier, Sailor, Airmen/women & Marines who may be captured.
Catie96706 on September 6, 2006 at 3:18 PM
honora on September 6, 2006 at 3:40 PM
jdpaz: sorry for quote screw up.
honora on September 6, 2006 at 3:41 PM
honora: I (and the corner guys) see it as making the best of a bad situation. Hamdan put us in a tough spot. Now maybe we can get some sort of tribunal thing specifically authorized by congress.
I think the political fallout (that you highlighted above) will be interesting but isn’t the main point of today’s maneuvering.
jdpaz on September 6, 2006 at 4:00 PM
Ditto, Bob.
We are, effectively, trying to give criminal international terrorist the rights of American Citizens otherwise protected under our constitution.
These people are international criminals at worst, and POWs at best. Yet, even under POW status they shouldn’t be automatically given the rights of citizens.
What these people have done is reduce themselves to rogue animals that require us to cage them for their protection as well as for our own protection. Because the only thing one can do with a wild rogue animal is cage it until it dies, or just kill it. Rights in our context mean nothing to them.
Lawrence on September 6, 2006 at 4:13 PM
Whenever I see this photo, I can’t help but think of Ron Jeremy and a bad accident with Rogaine….
NTWR on September 6, 2006 at 4:13 PM
Yeah, I was wondering what I was missing that everybody else had cottoned–I thought from the beginning of the speech and all the bellyaching here, he really has no choice because of Hamdan. I thought the point of the speech was to reveal the CIA camps because Hamdan has left them open to questions of legality. I don’t really see what there is to moan about today that wasn’t available when Hamdan was handed down.
Anwyn on September 6, 2006 at 4:25 PM
Ya gotta love that Karl Rove. His fingerprints are all over this tactical move by the president. Expect more of the same maneuvering on a daily basis for the next two months, while the Dems spend all of their time patting themselves on the back for their anticipated takeover of the house and senate.
I seem to recall the same mantra coming from the left leading up to the 02 and 04 elections. Yeh, there was Craig Crawford, another sockpuppet for Chris Mouthews, predicting the Dems would end up with 55 seats in the senate. Gooood Waaan Craig, you lost seats.
The whole delusional gang at MSNBC are having orgasms while they spend the entire day today explaining why they will win. Shuster gave a live report from Ohio, and I think he used the phrase “disaster for Bush” at least five times during his report. It’s the best sitcom on the tube today, make sure you tune in for the gaffs and bloopers.
Still waiting for someone, anyone from the left, to give evidence of how we are less protected today from terrorists than we were five years ago. Saying it doesn’t make it so.
fogw on September 6, 2006 at 5:33 PM
It’s hard to tell from this picture which part is “master” and which is “mind”.
All he needs is a bunch of parsley hanging out of his mouth, to complete the pi–ed off pig.
One can smell the stench out of the image.
As mentioned by another commenter, how ‘inspiring’ the side-by-sides are, almost as if Saddam is reflecting upon and judging the appearance of Mr. Swine.
Entelechy on September 6, 2006 at 5:41 PM
The only thing I see missing from everyones comments here is that the President just made Gitmo relevant, and explained why it will continue operating for as long as it is needed. His commending the troops who guard those terrorists was great as they have earned his praise.
DannoJyd on September 6, 2006 at 11:08 PM
You can bet your sweet ass the dems are scurrying about in a frenzy contacting their legal comrades at the ACLU for the rights of (their) terrorists and their means to sue.
It bewilders me the length the courts and Congress will go to hamstring President Bush.
I read these terrorists were referred to as “terrorism suspects” by Roto-Reuters. That’s a pantload in dire need of a courtesy flush.
doingwhatican on September 7, 2006 at 3:59 AM
After Geneva becomes the capital of Eurabia, will we still have to abide by the Geneva Conventions?
Kralizec on September 7, 2006 at 4:56 AM
Yes, we’ll just call them al-Geneva Conventions.
JasonG on September 7, 2006 at 10:37 AM
Meanwhile in wacademia, weeping for Moussaoui @ Kansas State;
KSCollegian invites you to be 1st to post feedback here.
Terp Mole on September 7, 2006 at 11:31 AM
And now it’s time for the democrats to get busy and vote on legislation they don’t want (i.e.,allowing unfettered
prosecution of these terrorists and protection from lawyers
of our military).
gary on September 7, 2006 at 4:14 PM
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