At the time, Rudy Giuliani and other so-called “hard-liners” praised the
civilian trial of Moussaoui as a triumph of the American system of justice.
Which it was. And what was the right policy for President Bush is now the right
policy for President Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, the opposition arguments put forth by New York Democrats were
laughable. The trial will cause traffic jams? New York City’s a perpetual
traffic jam. It’ll force nearby businesses to close? Didn’t happen in Boston or
Alexandria. It’ll require tough security? I thought the NYPD was the best in
the world. It’ll cost $200 million? The federal government would pick up the
tab.
But, of course, those aren’t the real reasons Democrats caved in. They’re
simply chicken. They’re so afraid of being called soft on terrorism, they’ll
run for the hills rather than stand and fight for what’s right. Shame on them.
For, in the end, what’s really at stake in this decision is not the location of
one trial, it’s the American justice system itself. We either trust it or we
don’t. We either believe in it, or not. If we do, we should not be so willing
to throw it out the window whenever a terrorist suspect comes up for trial.
The controversy over where to hold the trial of Khalid Sheik Mohammed has
turned into one of those good news/bad news stories. The good news is: The war
on terror is over. The bad news is: The terrorists won.
Visit Mr. Press’s website at billpressshow.com.