Bilal Hussein actively coordinated his work for AP with the terrorists whose attacks on Americans he photographed. he was duly and properly arrested for his misdeeds. But a new Iraqi law granting amnesty to those charged with terrorism related offenses…

Certainly, we have the obligation to offer our advice on how odious the likely consequences of certain actions. Still, we must not shrink from being supportive of a nascent Iraqi government’s procedure and promulgated laws simply because we aren’t thrilled with the apparent immediate consequences of their actions.

As individually despicable, in manner and deed, many of the Iraqis subject to this law may be, and Bilal is certainly among them, some sort of blanket amnesty has been, overall, extremely beneficial in restoring normality to areas that have suffered through brutal periods of non-conventional warfare. Even with some glaring examples such as Bilal.

Still, Iraqis swept up either before, or during the early stages of the surge will be returned to an almost completely different environment than when they were detained. A population, and peers, drastically less compliant with, or supportive of, terroristic insurgency. Of those still hell bent, for whatever reason, on violent jihad, they’ll either be very quickly outed by their fellow Iraqis and back in custody, or they’ll present themselves for possible permanent elimination to the nearest military/police patrol. And considered a certain way, it does present exactly the challenge the Iraqi Army and Police are working to be able to take care of on their own; keeping the lid on things, and demonstrating that they can provide security and stability, will positively re-enforce both the police and military, as well as the general populace, that stability and normalcy are possible.

As that confidence grows, stability increases. As stability increases, economic activity recovers, and infrastructure improvements become widely noticeable, it becomes self re-enforcing, eventually reaching the point that Coalition troops are superfluous…

shudder Almost sounds like an exit strategy…

Best way to learn the lessons of unintended consequences……

Constitutional “penumbras” always result in death. Right, abortion lovers?

Must be a fine Irish/Methodist with a fine name like that.

Expect the AP to issue a statement crowing about the latter – claiming that there was no info tying Hussein to terrorism, despite always seemingly being in the right place at the right time, and being caught in the presence of al Qaeda terrorists….

Will they decide he is still innocent or will they change thier minds. Anyone want to wage a guess?

I say they say he is innocent… and back to the terrorist taking photographs, he goes.