Obama Surrenders On Gitmo, 9/11 Trials.

The president's signing statement on the ban on Defense Department funds for trials of Guantanamo Bay detainees suggests he won't be taking the route offered by the ACLU and defying the ban by using funds from other agencies to facilitate federal criminal trials.

Despite my strong objection to these provisions, which my Administration has consistently opposed, I have signed this Act because of the importance of authorizing appropriations for, among other things, our military activities in 2011.

Nevertheless, my Administration will work with the Congress to seek repeal of these restrictions, will seek to mitigate their effects, and will oppose any attempt to extend or expand them in the future.

It sounds to me like the White House just gave up on closing Gitmo and trying the 9/11 conspirators in civilian court. Anytime this administration makes vague promises to "fight" anything, it means they've already given up. They could have fought this by fighting it. They had the last two years to "fight" this. They curled up in a fetal position and let themselves get pummeled to death, all before being unable to prevent a Democratic Congress from severely constraining the president's ability to permanently incapacitate terrorists.