I've figured out that 'idiot' is high praise around here. Thanks!

Consider yourself duly damned with faint praise then.

But yeah, if we send the message that killing civilians in the US results in a big soapbox, a bonanza of intelligence info for al-qaida, and a lot more expense and hoops to jump through for the prosecution, do think that's just going to be ignored?

A few small points:

1. Exactly what attack on US soil did KSM actually participate in?

2. There are serious questions about whether or not the years of protracted (and likely needless) torture he went through haven't left him mentally incompetent to actually stand trial to begin with.

3. What makes you think Al Qaeda or its fellows don't already know (from first hand experience in their native lands) exactly what kind of techniques the US now uses for intelligence gathering?

You must be a racist to think these people are THAT dim. :-)

YOU have to decide whether "these people" are terrorist masterminds or run-of-the-mill thugs. You can't have it both ways.

4. Its perfectly legitimate to force the prosecution to "jump through hoops" to prove its case, especially in a major trial like this. We're talking about executing another human being here, so they'd better have a damned good case.

He was ready to be executed and move on to his 72 virgins a long time ago. Who do you suppose prevented him from getting this modest wish?

Of course he is. The man's been waterboarded 183 times (that've been admitted to anyway); gods alone know what else was done to him. He's surely ready for the agony to be over once and for all, and likely isn't interested in what might be waiting for him on the other side of the veil.

Now, as to your contention that NYC will be put in unnecessary risk by the trial, you're either not a resident of the City or have watched "24" a few too many times. Anyone who has done even cursory work in domestic preparedness quickly realizes there's no such thing as "complete safety" anywhere, least of all in a major city like New York. The best one can hope for is there's a competent Emergency Management team in place and that First Responders are trained to deal with "mass casualty incidents"; I'm personally satisfied both conditions presently exist here in NYC.

In any case, you seriously think Al Qaeda is going to launch a major attack simply because one of its more publicized members, who hasn't been part of their network for over half a decade, is about to face trial? Again, are these guys terrorist masterminds or just too plainly dumb to try something ealier? You're not terribly consistent on this point.

I'd suggest you take a breath and come back to reality, but I suspect it'd be a wasted effort.

Says it all for glenn's reasons for writing this "impassioned" blog post.

It does indeed. Leaves me personally relieved I'm not the only card-carrying member around.

Another brick in glenn's house of appeasement, pro-terrorist, anti American crap.

You're failing to appreciate the context of Pink Floyd's seminal opus to the internal alienation modern society induces in those who fail to reach beyond themselves. Or perhaps you're the poster child for it. Honestly I don't care one way or the other.

Point to one passage in any of Glenn's posts where he's clearly "appeasing", "pro-terrorist" or "anti-American", please. Just one will do.

Or you can just shut it and leave the talking to the grown ups.

I shalln't hold out hope for either outcome.

I'm actually not a big fan of Bush, but I'm tired of the left constantly passing the blame to him when it comes to problems they can't solve, or even ones they've created themselves.

Al Qeda was an outgrowth of the Reagan Administration's covert aid to Afghanistan and his successor's neglect of the region afterwards. The Clinton Administration took the threat seriously enough to have a pushback strategy ready for implementation by late-2000, only to have its own successor shelve it and ignore the threat entirely.

KSM was captureed by the second Bush Administration, and was subsequently tortured (lets us call a spade a spade, okay?) into confessing a laundry list of crimes and plots. If the full details of his 'interrogation' get out and spoil the case against him, well who's fault is that?

The economy's in the septic tank, thanks primarily to the GOP's love of deregulation in the financial industry and top-loaded tax cuts. Let's not overlook the zeal with which they've resisted attempts to blunt outsourcing and funded wars of choice through massive borrowing.

Shall I go on?

Again, tell us which of the major problems we're facing today can be laid expresslly (or even largely) at the feet of 'us liberals'?