Pirate's Cove

Apparently, when a Democrat is president, the buck doesn’t actually stop at his desk, unless he wants it to, per the media

President Obama is planning to insert himself into the debate about where to try the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, three administration officials said Thursday, signaling a recognition that the administration had mishandled the process and triggered a political backlash.

Which begs the question, will he be availing himself of his ears, or his vocal cords as stressed by Secretary Teleprompter?

Obama initially had asked Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to choose the site of the trial in an effort to maintain an independent Justice Department. But the White House has been taken aback by the intense criticism from political opponents and local officials of Holder’s decision to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in a civilian courtroom in New York.

Interesting CYA for Obama. Anyone who believes that Obama did not play any part in picking the location, and was not kept in the loop, raise your hand…….no one?

Administration officials acknowledge that Holder and Obama advisers were unable to build political support for the trial. And Holder, in an interview Thursday, left open the possibility that Mohammed’s trial could be switched to a military commission, although he said that is not his personal and legal preference.

Is there anything that they have been able to build political support for? This was plainly a grandstanding position, meant to make Obama look wise and tough on terrorists, while using the symbolism of the missing towers as a backdrop. I’m sure it made terrorists around the world quake in their boots. With laughter.

Administration officials said the president’s involvement has to do with securing congressional funding for the costly trial before bipartisan efforts to strip financing for the case against Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators gain greater momentum. They said it was a matter of national security, not just politics.

Based on slightly over a year of watching Obama, we can certainly believe that he will not look for the optimal place to hold the trials that is acceptable for most (I vote for Chicago, where the federal courthouse is about 6 miles from Obama’s home. OK, really, if we have to have a civilian trial, how about in a federal courthouse in the middle of the country where there is little around it, making security easy?). Instead, Obama will use his capability for blasting people for not listening to The Smartest Man In The World.