You know what's better than decisive action? Tough talk, that's what. (McCain & Graham again)

[Bucky]

anything to up the ante

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/04/graham-mccain-boston-bomber-enemy-combatant.php

Republicans Urge Obama To Declare Suspected Boston Bomber An ‘Enemy Combatant’

Even before the suspected Boston Marathon bomber was captured Friday night, top GOP lawmakers were urging President Obama not to afford him the constitutional protections of the American criminal justice system. Those calls escalated after his capture, with a growing cadre of Republicans demanding that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev be declared an enemy combatant.

Leading the charge to handle Tsarnaev’s case outside of the Article III courts is Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), backed by fellow GOP Sens. John McCain (AZ) and Kelly Ayotte (NH) and Rep. Peter King (NY).

“The suspect, based upon his actions, clearly is a good candidate for enemy combatant status. We do not want this suspect to remain silent,” the four Republicans said in a joint statement Saturday. “We continue to face threats from radical Islamists in small cells and large groups throughout the world.”

Graham appeared Saturday on Fox News and labeled Tsarnaev a radical Islamist “on a jihad mission.”

This is worth pushing back on. This is exactly the sort of thing that Obama's inclined to compromise on--using a military tribunal on principle alone (wrong principle), even though civilian courts have a perfect track record on putting away terrorists (a better record than military tribunals, by the way).

[notadmblnd]

1. if little lindsey was only half as smart as he thinks he is

he would know that congress passed a law on 2012 that prevents American citizes from being tried by a military tribunal.

[KharmaTrain]

2. And Their Proof Is???

...oh that's right, that don't need any, just gin up the hate and poutrage. What a disgrace these goons are to this nation. But then these are also the shitstains that fell hook, line and sinker for Iraq=9/11 and were hoping that there'd be some foreign/Islamic involvement in the bombings so they could climb upon their high horses. Fortunately Tzarnaev will be tried in a civilian court as an AMERICAN citizen should be.

[Bucky]

6. I know Tamerlan was a citizen, but was Dzhokar also naturalized?

He's at least a resident. The status shouldn't matter. We shouldn't politicize the courts either way. They've been able to handle these retail-level terror cases. There is no good reason to throw out the rule of law here. In their hatred and mistrust of America's legal justice system and the rule of law, Republicans are calling for these half-legit, half impromptu military tribunals, as if Boston is still underseige, or partly destroyed by an enemy army.

[KharmaTrain]

8. Retail Level Terror...

...does sum up what happened last week. While that sounds a bit condescending, I understand it in the context of state-sponsored or an Al-Queda type organization. Again, all we have is sketchy information about the past of these two men and really no motive...no note or video explaining what they did. We may learn more if the surviving Tsarnaev brother decides to speak or through months of investigation by the prosecutors of the forthcoming case but we still have zero indication that either of these brothers were foreign agents or "terrorists". Seems they have more in common with Harris & Kleibold than Mohammed Atta...but the corporate media and a lot of rushpublicans want to look at the surface, apply their broad brushes and play politics.

Cheers...

[Bucky]

9. Their core instinct is panic and fear mongering, considering all threat conspiracies.

Republicans have embraced the politics of hysterics... and the base has reacted with apocalyptic thinking on guns vs big brotherism, gold vs economic collapse, and all business regulations leading to socialism.

[HereSince1628]

3. We've become accepting of softening up and enhanced interogation...

other than American's basic language deficiencies there's really no need to send him into the Gulag

24/7 exposure to lights and an endless loop of "Muskrat Love" can be done essentially anywhere, just ask Bradley Manning

[gordianot]

4. Your Muskrat Love torture is horrendous but I can think of worse.

Listening to hours of Graham, or for that matter McCain pontificating would do it to me. Just the snarky tone and lilt of Sarah Palin's voice would push me beyond any stringent physical enhanced interrogation. Tina Fey doing her Palin act would reduce me to a comatose state.

[Bucky]

10. McCain sounds like he hasn't taken a shit since 2008.

[PD Turk]

5. which version?

I think I could hold up for a while if it was the original Willis Alan Ramsey version, but the Captain and Tenille version? Oh man, that's just too wrong

[es466]

7. How about "Proud to be an American" looped over and over and over....

interspersed with Hannity/Palin soundbites?

[PD Turk]

11. Good gawd

That would make me want to use the "secret agent cyanide capsule" pretty quick