Kind of swamped on Danger Room stuff today, so I figured I’d keep these going to feed the beast. Geneve Mantri, Amnesty International USA: “The bottom line is that Ahmed Ghailani was convicted and faces at least 20 years to life in prison with no chance at parole. He was tried in an open, fair [...]

So what to expect at NATO’s Lisbon summit tomorrow? The one where the alliance firms up its intentions for an endgame in Afghanistan? Not much in the way of firmness, judging from a press conference given by Amb. Mark Sedwill, NATO special representative to Kabul: Yet [Sedwill] conceded that even 2014 might not mark the [...]

Going harder than Graham did… “Today’s verdict is a blow to the Administration’s failed terrorist detention and prosecution programs, which are not guided by the law of armed conflict as they should be. While the Administration continues to grasp at the hope that trying terrorists in civilian courts will improve our standing in the international [...]

No quarter, much like their amicus brief. CCR questions the ability of anyone who is Muslim to receive a truly fair trial in any American judicial forum post-9/11. Both the military commission system and federal criminal trials have serious flaws. However, on balance the Ghailani verdict shows that federal criminal trials are far superior to [...]

Just released from the senator: “While I respect the judgment of the court, I’m deeply disappointed in the verdict. “We are at war with Al Qaeda. Members of the organization, and their associates, should be treated as warriors, not common criminals. We put our nation at risk by criminalizing the war. “Going forward, I once [...]

If you were a shook Obama administration official, wringing your hands over trying Khalid Shaikh Mohammed in civilian court like you said you would, the fact that Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was found guilty on a conspiracy charge today is not going to inspire confidence. A New York jury acquitted Ghailani of pretty much every other [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1064-10 November 17, 2010 DOD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of five soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Nov. 14 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked their unit with small arms fire. Killed were: Spc. Shane H. Ahmed, 31, of Chesterfield, Mich. [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1061-10 November 17, 2010 DOD Identifies Marine Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sgt. Javier O. Ortiz Rivera, 26, of Rochester, N.Y., died Nov. 16 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1059-10 November 17, 2010 DOD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sgt. Kevin M. Pape, 30, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died Nov. 16 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small [...]

In December 2007, my friend and former TPM colleague Laura McGann headhunted me away from the TPM crew with the prospect of getting in on the ground floor of a new experiment in rigorous online-native news gathering and analysis. I worked happily at the Washington Independent until June, when I got an offer I couldn’t [...]