The headline "9/11 defendants want platform for views" is screaming across the Internet this morning, as conservative tough guys shiver in their seats over all the mean things the 9/11 conspirators might say about America.
The five men facing trial in the Sept. 11 attacks will plead not guilty so that they can air their criticisms of U.S. foreign policy, the lawyer for one of the defendants said.
Scott Fenstermaker, the lawyer for accused terrorist Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, said Sunday the men would not deny their role in the 2001 attacks but "would explain what happened and why they did it.
Oh no! Can you imagine? Terrorists are going to be talking at us! And all because the Obama administration wouldn't have them summarily executed without trial!
What the articles on the subject all seem to omit is that there will be no TV cameras in the courtroom for this trial. Khalid Sheik Mohammed's rants will be available only by transcript. Americans, to the extent they aren't bored to tears, will get to experience KSM's pontificating on the evening news through the age-old craft of voice-overs placed over tastefully edited court drawings made mildly more exciting by creative use of keyframes. There's a reason why you can't get Zacarias Moussaoui's greatest hits on Blu-ray.
-- A. Serwer
