Obama: Professed 9 / 11 Mastermind Will Be Convicted

[GodlessBiker]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama predicted that professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be convicted, as Attorney General Eric Holder defended putting him the U.S. civilian legal system.

In one of a series of TV interviews during his trip to Asia, Obama said those offended by the legal privileges given to Mohammed by virtue of getting a civilian trial rather than a military tribunal won't find it ''offensive at all when he's convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him.''

* * *

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/11/18/us/politics/AP-US-Sept-11-Trial-Holder.html

--------------------

Is this like the classic LA Times headline: "Manson Guilty, Nixon Declares"?

The President should not play this game.

[ShortnFiery]

1. I hardly recognized President Obama any more. He's morphed into RoboCop.

:(

[Orsino]

7. If he were going to stand up for the presumption of innocence...

...it wouldn't be for this prisoner. He's already taking too much heat for giving the man a trial at all, and for bringing it to NYC.

No, I'm afraid that this is where his courage ends. :(

[timeforpeace]

16. Gosh, this won't affect fair and impartial jury selection at all, will it?

[SIMPLYB1980]

53. Then you are really going to hate the next 7 years.

:rofl:

[alc]

2. you and I can assume someone is guilty before trial,

because the constitution doesn't restrict us. But I find it offensive when anyone acting as an agent of our government or speaking for our government presumes someone will be convicted before trial.

It's obviously just a show trial.

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. Isn't that what prosecutors do?

He is the boss of the boss of the people who will be prosecuting this man. It is the judiciary which is supposed to remain impartial, not the executive.

[tekisui]

3. And, he endorsed the death penalty. Yuck.

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. He did not try to hide the fact that he supported capital punishment during the campaign

[tekisui]

14. It doesn't make it any less repulsive or any less wrong.

Jeezus. It's like a broken ass record.

[Freddie Stubbs]

21. Not repulsive to most American voters

Is it any wonder that neither major political party has nominated an anti-death penalty candidate in over 20 years?

[timeforpeace]

22. Nor is waterboarding this dude.

[Freddie Stubbs]

36. Which is one of the reasons that CIA agents will not be prosecuted for it

[freddie mertz]

48. Which is stain on the soul of our nation.

[tekisui]

25. American voters are often wrong on accepted norms.

The American voters, at the time, were against ending slavery, giving women the right to vote, ending segregation and more. Today, they are wrong on the death penalty and same-sex marriage.

I seriously doubt that being anti-capital punishment would be a deal-breaker for an otherwise great candidate.

[Freddie Stubbs]

37. Then why hasn't the Democratic Party nominated a pro-death penalty candidate in over 20 years?

:shrug:

[freddie mertz]

49. Because the Dem party has sold out to murder to win elections?

That must be it.

[4lbs]

57. Were you around to see Dukakis' campaign ground to a halt after the debates because of the one

death penalty question?

He was against the death penalty.

If you are content with a Democratic candidate NEVER winning the Presidency again, then we can make sure being anti-death penalty is a mandated requirement.

The problem is that those against the death penalty frequently come off as being insensitive to the pain and anguish of the families that lost loved ones to violent crimes.

[freddie mertz]

61. I still think it is possible to lead and persuade the public on this issue.

Dukakis flubbed his answer (to a profoundly stupidly-phrased question).

I don't think that flub should be the last word on the matter for all time.

Which I also do not think is being "insensitive" in any way whatsoever.

[musicblind]

27. John Kerry was anti-death penalty n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

35. He's in favor of it for terrorists:

"I am for the death penalty for terrorists because terrorists have declared war on your country," he said in December 2002. "I support killing people who declare war on our country."

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/02/12/john_kerrys_shifting_stands/

[cherokeeprogressive]

56. Now that totally muddies the waters in a number of contexts.

First, Kerry cannot support the DP conditionally. Support of any kind is support.

Second, is a terrorist a criminal, or combatant? Kerry in his first sentence seems to imply they're criminals, and in his second sentence of the quote, says they've declared war. Wouldn't the declaration of war make them combatants?

[freddie mertz]

50. I presume you not only support but love the death penalty.

You are very passionate about it, or so it seems.

Madame Defarge, move over.

[freddie mertz]

19. So what? It is still immoral, unethical, and uncivilized.

The death penalty was outlawed in the Grand Duchy of Florence in the mid-18th century.

We are still 250 years behind the curve.

[Freddie Stubbs]

41. Florence was a monarchy, not a republic at that time

The decision was forced on the people by an unelected monarch without the consent of the people.

[freddie mertz]

42. It was a Duchy.

No king, not technically a monarchy.

But that aside, what is your point?

That the lust for blood evidenced by the masses should be satiated with human sacrifice?

I disagree with that and always will.

[Freddie Stubbs]

43. The people should decide, not some unelected 'noble'

[freddie mertz]

44. Tell ya what.. go back in time and tell them that...

I am sure all those poor unfortunate death-penalty deprived people would be more than happy to hear your views about why it is OK to murder people.

But please, spare ME the details.

[SIMPLYB1980]

54. Good. KSM deserves it.

:thumbsup: :hi:

[Bullet1987]

4. Umm...are you guys seriously doubting this mans guilt?

[Llewlladdwr]

5. I'm seriously doubting the Government's ability to prove it.

I can't see any way under the normal rules of evidence that anything we currently have on KSM would be admissable in court.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. I don't think that they would be trying him in a civilian court if they doubted the outcome

[Llewlladdwr]

17. Why have a trial then?

Seriously. The guy has already confessed. Why not just execute him and be done with it? And what evidence do you think the Government might have that isn't going to be tainted by the fact that KSM was waterboarded?

[timeforpeace]

23. They think it looks good. They are wrong. It will backfire, big time.

[Freddie Stubbs]

38. Apperently he admitted his guilt BEFORE he was waterboarded

[MilesColtrane]

60. If he's a true believer, he might just confess on the stand.

I don't believe the govt. is counting on this though.

They probably have multiple witnesses ready to testify that heard him admit involvement in the attacks.

I agree that he would not be tried, if Holder had any doubt about the outcome. And, surely Obama would not make the statement that he would be found guilty.

They have seen the evidence.

[amandabeech]

31. I think that you're right.

I also have a hard time believing that there's a real chance of an unbiased jury, either. Putting it in New York was probably a political move to begin with.

The first thing that the defense will do is file a motion for change of venue, not that it will do the defendant any good.

This is going to be a rough trial anywhere. Whether a civilian trial for this guy will be any better than a military trial is not clear to me, at least from the defendant's perspective.

[EFerrari]

32. Then that's not a trial, it's a show. n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

39. Any trial where the evidence is overwhelmingly against the defendant is automatically a 'show trial?...

You must realize that some defendants actually are guilty.

[bikingaz]

62. except that he did not fly the planes - the hijackers did

Probably he will claim that he knew them but that the hijackers got the idea to go do this without his help.

So unless they have solid proof - emails, money, plans, etc, there are lots of risks. Remember that this is not a tv show where we can wrap it up in 1-2 hr episodes. Our agents are not as good as the ones in TV.

The gamut of possibilities run from a hung jury, life without parole, a reduced sentence or he might go free if found that the confession was inadmisible. If he got the death penalty and we carried it out, there will be reprisals.

what then?

[geek tragedy]

15. Wiretaps, financial records, electronic records, everything he said

before being detained and tortured.

Confessions are not necessary to get a conviction.

[tekisui]

9. I haven't seen the evidence, have you?

Declaring a guilty verdict before the trial begins is not the way it is supposed to work. And, declaring that the death penalty will follow is even worse.

[EFerrari]

29. No, we're seriously supporting our so called "system of justice".

[asjr]

6. I am almost certain KSM will be convicted and

given the death penalty but it seems the remark Obama made could be used by a good defense lawyer. If he is guilty so be it, but this has taken us over just like the health reform publicity has. It will be a "Show trial." The media coverage will be just like the O.J. trial--on and on and on.

[amandabeech]

28. At least in federal court there will be no TV cameras.

There will be plenty of breathless reporters on the court house steps, of course.

[freddie mertz]

8. I don't think it is appropriate for the president to declare guilt and pas sentence

No mater how bad and obviously guilty the offender may be.

Manson or KLM, among the very worst, but the legal process should not be clouded by such unhelpful utterances.

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. The President did not pass sentence, he stated his opinion

They judiciary will determine guilt and pass sentence.

[freddie mertz]

18. How would have been better advised not to go so far.

That is my opinion.

[Freddie Stubbs]

40. Probably, but he has to worry about midterm election and his own reelection

[freddie mertz]

45. Not a very ethically convincing excuse....

But then, you know that already.

[timeforpeace]

24. It's not good for a president to shoot off his mouth first, then think.

[HughBeaumont]

20. Impossible when he's still free and residing in Virginia.

:P

[backscatter712]

26. Good!

Give KSM a fair trial - we are Americans.

Then when he is convicted (and he will be - he bragged about orchestrating 9/11 before he was captured,) I have absolutely no problem with executing him - he earned it.

[EFerrari]

30. Can you get anything resembling a fair trial when the American president

has already declared you will be executed?

I don't believe the stuff I read here sometimes.

[winyanstaz]

59. I have to agree on that...

nor can anyone that may have had anything to do with 9-11 find any justice in new york city...as that is where the crime was committed and it would be impossible to find people that didnt want to hang someone for the crime.
It was wrong for Obama to say what he said.
All that being said however...I want the trial to happen because I am hoping it will uncover some truth as to what happened on 9-11.
If they are trying him for 9-11...wont ALL the facts about that day have to be presented?

[DU GrovelBot]

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[ProSense]

34. This is an AP headline and, as usual, it screwed up the statement

"(What) I think we have to break is this fearful notion that somehow our justice system can't handle these guys," Obama said in an interview with NBC News.

Asked if he understood why some people were offended by trying the men in U.S. courts, he replied: "I don't think it will be offensive at all when he's convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him."

He then backtracked, saying, "What I said was people will not be offended if that's outcome. I'm not prejudging" them.

link

It isn't appropriate for the President to be predicting someone's guilt or innocence.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

46. The President is the Chief Executive.

Like a prosecutor, saying this sort of thing is no issue.

Impartiality is for the Judicial branch.

C'mon people, wake up.

[RedCloud]

47. So how can he get a fair trial?

[Ter]

51. Mastermind of 9/11?

I thought that was Osama Bin Laden.

[SIMPLYB1980]

55. Osama just financed it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_Sheikh_Mohammed

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (Arabic: خالد شيخ محمد‎; also transliterated as Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and additionally known by at least fifty aliases)<3><4><5> (born March 1, 1964, or April 14, 1965) is a prisoner in U.S. custody for alleged acts of terrorism, including mass murder of civilians. He was charged on February 11, 2008, with war crimes and murder by a U.S. military commission and faces the death penalty if convicted.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was a member of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organization, although he lived in Kuwait rather than Afghanistan, heading al-Qaeda's propaganda operations from sometime around 1999. According to the 9/11 Commission Report he was "the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks." He is also thought to have confessed to a role in many of the most significant terrorist plots over the last twenty years, including the World Trade Center 1993 bombings, the Operation Bojinka plot, an aborted 2002 attack on the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles, the Bali nightclub bombings, the failed bombing of American Airlines Flight 63, the Millennium Plot, and the murder of Daniel Pearl.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on March 1, 2003, by the Pakistani ISI, possibly in a joint action with agents of the American Diplomatic Security Service, and has been in U.S. custody since that time. In September 2006, the U.S. government announced it had moved Mohammed from a secret prison to the facility at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.<6> The Red Cross, Human Rights Watch and Mohammed have claimed that the harsh treatment and waterboarding he received from U.S. authorities, amounts to torture.<7><8>

I don't care if he was tortured. He deserves death.

[Clear Blue Sky]

52. Entire national jury pool is now tainted. Gift for the defense lawyers.

[winyanstaz]

58. Who wouldnt confess to being a master mind of anything after being tortured for so long?

Or after having your two small children kidnapped and tortured.
I would confess to anything to save my children..wouldnt you?