The president gives in on military commissions, grieving his cheerleaders.

Andrew C. McCarthy  "The second significant turn of events to shape that reality was the outcome of al-Qaeda operative Ahmed Ghailani’s civilian trial. Though fully complicit in the 1998 embassy bombings, the terrorist was acquitted on 284 of 285 counts after a judge refused to allow the prosecution to call its most important witness. As previously noted, the compromise verdict probably had more to do with a loopy juror than with the court’s ruling. ....That’s fine when defendants are American citizens accused of ordinary crimes — they’re the ones for whom our justice system was quite intentionally designed that way. For enemy jihadists? Not so much."

Until the administration can articulate a coherent and convincing policy for closing Guantanamo, it should remain open. "The time has come for President Obama to formally rescind his order to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and end his irresponsible allegations of injustices at the facility, which operates in a framework that respects the rule of law, keeps terrorists off American soil, and bolsters our national security."