terrorism

UPDATE: Bond released a new statement to TPM explaining his position, but remains silent as to why he didn't criticize Bush when he was in office.

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Talking Points Memo has picked up on my exchange with Sen. Kit Bond's communications director Shana Marchio, and can't find any examples of Bond criticizing the Bush Administration's criminal prosecution of "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.

We couldn't find any reports of Bond speaking out against Bush's handling of the [Richard] Reid case, but we've asked Marchio if he made his views known at the time.

Reid was arrested in December 2001, and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in January 2003 to eight counts, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted homicide, and placing an explosive device on an aircraft.

Former Attorney General and Missouri Governor/Senator John Ashcroft celebrated the work of the U.S. Attorney in announcing the charges against Reid in January 2002.

A search of Nexis articles mentioning Bond and Reid shows no public criticism or even concern from the Senator about the prosecution, conviction and detention of Reid. 

Why was it okay for the Bush Administration to prosecute shoe bomber Richard Reid in criminal court, but a very bad idea for the Obama Administration to put Omar AbdulMutallab into the criminal justice system?

Or put another way, why is our justice system equipped to handle a man who tried to blow up an airplane with explosives in his shoes, but unable to handle the a man who tried to blow up an airplane with explosives in his underpants? 

UPDATE: Kit Bond's Communications Director Shana Marchio responded to my question via Twitter:

Simple answer - it wasn't - this mistake was corrected w/Padilla

Should've been as enemy combatnt. Like 2day's show, Bond critical of Bush AND Obama Admin. Goal: prevent repeating mistakes

Sad because:

There will never be any hope that those who torture will ever see a courtroom? Now they have probably killed (with impunity) someone who could have given critical testimony against them. No one believes it was suicide. We put the Mafia to shame.  Try to be cognizant that all these new crimes must be now hung around Obama’s neck.  

What a disgraceful, sorry, freaking country we pretend to live in!

“Ali Mohamed al-Fakheri, also known as Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi, was found dead in his cell in Abu Salim prison in Tripoli, Human Rights Watch said in a news release Monday. Al-Libi had previously been held in secret U.S. and Egyptian detention facilities from late 2001 to at least 2005, HRW said. 

"The death of Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi means that the world will never hear his account of the brutal torture he experienced...So now it is up to Libya and the United States to reveal the full story of what they know, including its impact on his mental health."

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch

HRW called on Libya to disclose what it knows about al-Libi\'s treatment in U.S. and Egyptian custody.” 

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/11/UPI-NewsTrack-TopNews/UPI-6199124...