Spray and Pray

Wednesday Army Brigadier General Gregory Zanetti gave honest testimony about the method used to charge prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Air Force Brigadier General Thomas Hartmann wanted cases that would "capture the public's imagination." Some of the sexiest cases involved very young men, like Mohammed Jawad and Omar Ahmed Khadr, who were only teenagers when the threw hand grenades at Americans. Hartmann pushed for speedy charges, and bullied anyone whose opinion differed from his own.

The testimony shines a light on the driving force behind some of the "war crimes" trials centering on Guantanamo prisoners. The trials were meant to be publicity for the Bush administration's detention of "enemy combatants." Hartmann wanted cases that would make the public adore the idea of Guantanamo and military tribunals. Hartmann probably hadn't expected the Supreme Court of the United States to disagree with George Bush, and probably didn't think his role would ever come into question. What's the use of a kangaroo court if the masterminds become exposed?

Update: The Miami Herald ran the same story from a different angle. Hartmann has been disqualified from further involvement with the cases.

''The judge found that in the interests of justice General Hartmann is disqualified from further action in this case,'' said Air Force Maj. Gail Crawford, a military attorney serving as spokeswoman for the trials.

The information further buttresses the notion that the proceedings are a sham. Many writers use the term "kangaroo court" when referring to the military tribunals. Such a proud time for the rule of law...