Kudos for capturing this Libyan fellow. I’m sure it took a while to compile the evidence for a definitive conviction. Glad the FBI was involved.

The FBI was involved early in the Afghan war. Captured terrorists were talking freely to the FBI. The FBI was interested in convictions, and was going about everything methodically and properly. But then Cheney engineered turning everything over to the CIA. The CIA didn’t care one bit about convictions–they just wanted information. And so, they used torture, launching one of the saddest periods of US history. It also accounts for our problems with trying the Gitmo detainees; the use of torture invalidates, under US law, most of the “evidence” against these guys. (The book “The Dark Side” tells all about this, including the enormous success the FBI was having in the early days until the CIA took over.)

But with this Libyan, we did it right.

The folks at FoxNews, of course, are putting the worst possible spin on this guy’s capture. They refuse to give President Obama credit for anything. I listened to The Five on the way home from work today, and I’m sick and tired of their constant negativity. I think I’m done with them. I’ll just listen to music. (The evening line-up at MSNBC is totally unwatchable, lest you think I have a double standard.)

Anyway, FoxNews advocates sending this Libyan to Gitmo and, though they won’t come right out and say it, torture the guy for information. Well, we don’t torture anymore–I’m deeply proud to say–so that won’t happen.

I’m guessing this guys WANTS to be sent to Gitmo. The alternative is spending his life in a Supermax prison, where a number of other convicted terrorists are already rotting away the rest of their lives. Supermax is a living hell, very inhumane. I’d prefer Gitmo, too.

It sounds like the FBI has the convictable goods on this guy. It’ll take a while, perhaps a couple years, to obtain a conviction. But the guy will be convicted and spend the rest of his life in a Supermax. He may be able to trade some information, but it won’t get him far.