The Nigerian man who attempted to blow up a commercial jet outside Detroit on Christmas Day should be tried as an enemy combatant in a military court, a leading Republican Senator said on Sunday.
Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 election, said it would be a mistake to try Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, in a civilian court where he would "get lawyered up" and be afforded the right to withhold damaging information.
"To have a person be able to get lawyered up when we need that information very badly, I think betrays or contradicts the president's view that we are at war," McCain told CNN's State of the Union with John King.
"That person should be tried as an enemy combatant," McCain said. "He's a terrorist."
The U.S. civilian justice system affords some protections not afforded by some military courts.
Abdulmutallab is accused of attempting to ignite explosives in his underwear on a December 25 flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. He was subdued by other passengers after trying to ignite it.
via Wrong to give bomb suspect civilian rights: McCain | Reuters.
Why does McCain hate the U.S. justice system so much?
Our system has checks and balances, something would-be tyrants hate. Our justice system has evolved over many years out of necessity. It keeps us from rushing to a hasty and sometimes flawed judgment.
Perhaps Abdulmutallab is an oddly expressionless (insane, blackmailed, brainwashed?) man who, while oddly expressionless, tried to blow up his own crotch on a jet as a terrorist act ( which coincidentally happened to benefit one particular airport scanner making company with US military ties).
But, all wild conspiracy theories aside, doesn't the military (and military courts on high profile cases) do what politicians say they should do? And how many living trustworthy politicians can I name? Only a few, and they are marginal players. The U.S. civilian justice system seems the best way we (the civilians who ride these jets!) can get the facts that will prevent this from happening again and again.
What's the deal with military courts anyway?
While the primary purpose of the United States justice system is to dispense "justice," that is not the primary reason for the creation of a separation justice system for America's Armed Forces. The primary purpose of the Military's system is to provide the military commander with necessary tools to enforce good order and discipline. - usmilitary.about.com
Is there some undiscovered fact about this case that could cause disorder in the US military? If not, a military court makes no sense.
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