A strong majority of Americans believe that Obama is wrong to try KSM in a civilian court. That's the result of a new Gallup poll:
By 59% to 36%, more Americans believe accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed should be tried in a military court, rather than in a civilian criminal court. Most Republicans and independents favor holding the trial in a military court, while the slight majority of Democrats disagree.
These findings come from a Nov. 20-22 USA Today/Gallup poll conducted a week after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that Mohammed's case would move from a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, where the admitted terrorist was originally charged, to a federal court in New York City. "Despite their sharp differences over how to bring Mohammed to justice, Republicans and Democrats largely agree that, if found guilty, he should pay the ultimate price."
Public opinion is a bit less contrary to Holder's decision regarding the venue for the trial. Although the majority of Americans (51%) say Mohammed should face trial somewhere other than New York City, 42% -- slightly higher than the percentage favoring a civilian trial -- support holding the trial in the city where the vast majority of Americans lost their lives on Sept. 11.
You have to admit there is a nice sense of justice to the idea of holding a trial in New York. But the problems far outweigh any "feel good" emotions such a trial would elicit. You can't give in to the idea of "justice coming full circle" just to satisfy our feelings of pay back - not when security and the integrity of the court system itself is at stake. The mockery KSM and the other plotters will try to make of this trial is far more of a problem than offending the sensibilities of liberals in Europe if we were to use a military tribunal to try the terrorists.
Much more interesting is that the people seem to have a lot more common sense than Holder and Obama when it comes to how to proceed to bring KSM to justice. Not that it will change their minds but even Democrats barely agree with them.
Once again, the American people prove themselves smarter than their government.
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