Jose Padilla has been convicted on all counts in a Florida Courtroom. The charges had nothing to do with the original "dirty bomb" plot we used to confine Padilla for years in a military brig--there was apparently insufficient evidence to prove anything of the sort. This was a generic "supporting terrorism" charge.
Orin Kerr has everybody's talking points ready to go, so have at it.
For my part, I agree with Steve Benen: Today's case notwithstanding, the entire ordeal we've put Padilla through has been a running disgrace to the idea of "rule of law."
The charges brought in civilian court in Miami were a pale shadow of those initial dirty bomb claims in part because Padilla was interrogated in a military brig and was not read his Miranda rights. From the Curt Anderson AP story.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think Orin's off the mark, Bush opponents seem to be focusing on the illegal aspects of the case; lack a of speedy trial, the habeus corpus issue and the torture.