Nov 15, 2009 12:08pm
Terror Trials: Will Says Not a Bad Choice; Brooks Predicts Long Circus Trial
EmailTwo conservatives on the Roundtable were at odds on the decision to Khalid Sheik Mohammed to New York City to face a civilian trial. George Will said, given the options, Attorney General Holder didn’t make a bad choice. But David Brooks condemned the decision saying it gives the terrorists a "second bite at the apple" to spread their propaganda and to expect a protracted circus trial that turns into an "international reality show."
Watch the exchange here:
- George Stephanopoulos
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I sort of think that at least part of the definition of “trial” would include the word “long”. The circus? Everything the media gets hold of becomes a circus. That said, I don’t think regular people are afraid of having a trial on U.S. soil. And what do you think the terrorists are going to say that hasn’t already been out on the internet and passed around in person over in the mideast for years, Mr. Brooks?
Posted by: jan | November 15, 2009, 12:26 pm 12:26 pm
In my opinion a trial is exactly what needs to be done. These “terrorist” are not an army affiliated with one specific country. Giving these poor excuses of human beings a military trial would elevate them to the status of an army… a status they do not deserve. They are nothing more than murderous thugs who premeditated the killings. I venture to guess that premeditaion should not be hard to prove in a court of law.
Posted by: What Now | November 15, 2009, 1:52 pm 1:52 pm
Right-wing “chickenhawks” are afraid of their own shadow. That’s exactly what these opportunistic cowards wanted to do, foment fear. They should be tried at the scene of the crime, convicted, sent to SuperMax allowed to “mingle” with the general population before being put to death.
These cowards have had it pretty good at Guantanamo. Housed amoung their own. Clothed and fed. The remainder of their lives should be made to be a “living hell”.
Posted by: AnAmericanPerson | November 15, 2009, 2:45 pm 2:45 pm
George, thank you for the best roundtable discussion I have seen you sponsor for months. The topics were meaty (well, excepting Palin), the members were civil, dignified and knowledgeable. What a treasure! No one was stepping allover someone’s lines, they treated each other with respect,and they really grappled with the issues.
Congrats to all participants and to you, George, for getting them all together. Could you just have this same group every week?
Posted by: Martha Jane Kitchens | November 15, 2009, 2:45 pm 2:45 pm
One thing for certain, the pundits will make a circus out of it.
Posted by: Thinking | November 15, 2009, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm
Circus yes, And an invitation to more terrorism.
Posted by: bobp | November 15, 2009, 4:20 pm 4:20 pm
To all of you: No one is talking about the financial cost to this country for these trials. Mayor Bloomberg says NY can handle the security, at what cost? The defendents will be “provided lawyers” who pays for public defenders – if they use them? The day this was announced every Mosque in the world started receiving donations for lawyers for these “terrorists”. Not American citizens on trial; “Terrorists” on trial in our country at our expense. They will have enough money available to buy lawyers from all over the world, lawyers in international law, military law not the “just out of law school public defenders” this administration thinks they will walk all over.
This won’t be one trial, it will be five trials because each of these people are accused of seperate crimes and if any are accused of the same crime they are accused of different aspects of that crime. They don’t all speak the same dialect so there will be interpreters for all five defendents on both the defense and prosecution sides, the defendents will be housed in the US, the prosecutors will have to have security, the defense will have to have security, the judge and jurors will have to have security. Even if they are all found guilty in the first week they can appeal for the rest of their lives.
The last guy we tried for the first twin towers bombing wasn’t given death, so we will have to provide health care and safety and living conditions for all of these people for the rest of their lives and do it right here in the United States. They hate the United States, they declared war on the United States. War is a military situation. They should be tried in a military court on military ground – right where they are – where they are the most likely to be hanged.
Then if you get a judge as encompetent as OJ had to control his court room it will be a free-for-all every day. This is going to tie up this country and the justice system in NY for ten years.
Posted by: mamie | November 15, 2009, 4:51 pm 4:51 pm
And America AIN”T SCARED!!! We have a Constitution and a criminal justice system that is AWESOME
Posted by: sara | November 15, 2009, 6:30 pm 6:30 pm
When the FEDS come for YOU…..They got your RIGHT….their conviction rate is 98% for Americans……so go figure! TRIED, CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO DEATH!
Posted by: sara | November 15, 2009, 6:32 pm 6:32 pm
These creeps might even get off entirely with the whole waterboarding deal…then Obama can blame Bush again. Meanwhile, he looks good to the Left by treating these terrorists like they are nice people who just got off track and need some rehab. So you see, it works out for him either way.
Posted by: Bill | November 15, 2009, 6:39 pm 6:39 pm
I listened to the roundtable carefully and did not hear one person mention the hypocracy of the Republican/conservative position. Weren’t these the people that said the “enemy combatants” were not soldiers and therefore not entitled to Geneva protections. Republicans/Conservatives can’t have it both ways; Military tribuals should be reserved for prisoners of war. And, POW’s are entitled to Geneva Convention treatment during imprisonment. “Enemy Combatants” (whatever those are) should be tried in Civil courts.
Unfortunately, some “enemy combatants” will likely be tried in Military tribuals out of necessity because (1) they are dangerous and (2) the only evidence we have of their guilt was obtained under conditions not permitted by our legal system.
Posted by: Joe | November 15, 2009, 6:52 pm 6:52 pm
They chop off Americans Heads. We invite them to tea.
Posted by: EmbarressedAmerican | November 15, 2009, 7:18 pm 7:18 pm
(1)Khalid Sheik Mohammed, (2)Walid bin-Atash, (3)Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, (4)Ali Abdul Aziz Ali (5)Mustafa al-Hawsawi. The five terrorists names will be repeated over and over again. Their terrorist faces will be plastered all over the news media for months and possibly years to come during these trials. Their lawyers will say that they cannot get a fair trial in New York City and that will delay it even longer. Are they going to stop the preceedings so they can go pray 5 times a day? Have them a bowl to wash their feet in? Towels to dry them. How far are they going to bend over backwards to accommodate these terrorist?
Posted by: d | November 15, 2009, 8:37 pm 8:37 pm
Americans as a whole haven’t been seduced by Al Qaida’s propaganda machine and we’ve all been exposed to its vitriole and bombastic threats. The courts have the tools to ensure the trials are conducted in an orderly manner and those tools will be employed to make sure no media circus atmosphere will prevail. Yes, they masterminded a heinous attack on our nation, but WE were not at war with Arabia, where most of the planners and attackers were from. Bush admin. coined the War on Terror designation after the fact. The attack was against the civilian population of the United States, not against our military, therefore, the attack was a criminal attack against civilians and rightly should be tried in a civilian court of law.
Posted by: Arlene Nidel | November 15, 2009, 8:55 pm 8:55 pm
Less see, we are going to give them a civilian trial so the Moslem world will feel good about it and like us more, yeah right.Good luck with that!
Posted by: Johnny L | November 16, 2009, 8:32 am 8:32 am
we are going to give them the same rights of those they killed. Tax payers are going to feed them, cloth them, pay their medical bills? So let me get this straight, they can kill 3000 people because of their hate for America but our president wants us to care for them like they were our own? On our own soil? What were you thinking America? Where you thinking at all? I think not! Also for the poster that said these guys had it good at gitmo, I thought gitmo was a terrible place where awful things happened? Come on you can’t have it both ways.
Posted by: whatsgoingonhere? | November 16, 2009, 12:05 pm 12:05 pm
I would go with Brooks, on that.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | November 16, 2009, 12:49 pm 12:49 pm
Sarah, tell me do you believe the TERRORISTS are in the same league as a robber at the 7-11???????????? When did they became US citizens to be tried in US court with all the rights of a US citizen???????????
Posted by: Lizzie | November 16, 2009, 3:44 pm 3:44 pm
We overlook the “MARTYR” mentality of these people.Another attack on the city with them being killed during an event would be seen as “HOLY”.
Posted by: Kevin | November 16, 2009, 3:58 pm 3:58 pm
I think people are missing the point about the ramifications of this policy shift. It’s certainly against the law to fly a plane into a building on purpose. If others conspired to make the act happen, politicians define the act as an act of War or just a Conspiracy. If the act is committed by non-citizens of this country, conspired with or by another sovereign society, it’s an act of War. Defining it as a crime says Afghanistan had nothing to do with 911–which means we never should have gone to war there in the first place. This would contradict everything the President campaigned for during his election on the topic of Afghanistan. In short, it makes the President what we all know him to be–a hippocrite!
Posted by: NewJerseyVet | November 16, 2009, 4:27 pm 4:27 pm
ohbummer.
Posted by: gatorsnc | November 16, 2009, 5:24 pm 5:24 pm
This democrat government is made up of a bunch of callous clowns! What a total shame! That makes Obama the ringmaster!
Posted by: JV | November 18, 2009, 11:13 pm 11:13 pm