yeah, well... Gen. Holder can laugh now...but when those prigs git back in power:

shit meet fan on this insanity.

They continue putting the hateful crazy into the public discourse, and they are gonna hurt and kill people when they roll back to the top...

Holder wobbled under questioning from several committee Republicans on the line between prosecution in the federal courts and in military commissions. He was bruised by questioning from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on the implications of shifting to the former. Graham asked: "Can you give me a case in United States history where an enemy combatant caught on a battlefield was tried in civilian court?" Holder could not.

Well, he couldn't answer it because the premise of the question is nonsense. There aren't too many examples of "an enemy combatant caught on a battlefield" being "tried in civilian court" because you only try people in court for having committed a crime -- merely being an enemy combatant on the battlefield isn't a crime and hence there's nothing to try them for. To try him, you'd need an identifiable crime.

There are, however, numerous instances of accused terrorists being tried in civilian criminal courts. And that's what these men are -- common criminals, not "enemy combatants".

As we've declared the whole world the battlefield, Holder's answer should have been "Yes" and then rattled off the names of each terrorist convicted.

Lithwick concluded, "[W]hen you continue to hear that anyone who objects to Bush's detainee policies is unworthy to serve in government, or is part of some elaborate conspiracy to free terrorists, there is truly nothing left to do but laugh."

[allusions to any person or group needing to be killed will be summarily deleted, "joke" or not - mod.]

I'm reading about persistent rumors that the senate republican caucus has been renditioned to Cuba, and their places have been taken over by the crew of Saturday Night Live. Makes sense.

These guys are the extremists. In their world, alleged terrorists would have no counsel and just be summarily shot and thrown into a ditch.

Hey Chuck, why don't you line 'em up, machine gun them down and bury them with a bulldozer? Adolf would be so proud.

Martin @11:35 is right about the 'Global Battlefield'. The GOP is on a mission to blur the distinctions.

Caught in military sweeps in Iraq? Terrorist caught in a battlefield.

CIA hunting down and capturing a suspect in an apartment in Pakistan? Terrorist caught in a battlefield.

Any brown-skinned man in our custody? Terrorist caught in a battlefield.

The Senate needs to have a motion available in committee to take down any senator's words when he/she acts as these assholes do in implying that the AG is, or is sympathetic to, terrorists.

Why can't these republicans speak for themselves rather than using editorials from newspapers. I see the same on many wingnut blogs and forums. I even catch the occassional copy and paste and then go find it and report back citing palgiarism. Mindless idiots.

Anyone have the clip of Holder doing the big guffaw? Kyl and Cornyn were just ridiculous, as was boi-Lindsay!!

Grassley and Kyl, two dicks in a pod.

How can they not understand how the criminal justice of the US works and sit on that committee?

That's a rhetorical question.

I wonder what these people make of John Adams, who defended British soliders accused of murdering American civilians?

Kyl is becoming a star on on Mr. Benen's 'nut list' which includes luminaries such as Bachmann. ---And he's one of my senators. Sigh.

Given confessions coerced by torture, lack of Miranda warnings, government secrecy, "fruit of the poisonous tree," etc., a civilian court providing the defendants with all the rights of US citizens will have no choice but to dismiss the charges against Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his buddies. Unless of course the court chooses a course of "street law," in which case why not have a kangaroo or show trial in the first place, as is de rigeur for victors in battle to put on?