The Trial For Khalid Shaikh Mohammed And Four Other Men Responsible For 9/11 Is Set For January 11, 2021

Colonel W. Shane Cohen of the Air Force announced on Friday that the trial for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other men is set for January 11, 2021

Daily Mail: Death penalty trial date for men accused of planning 9/11 is finally set: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other accomplices charged with plotting attacks that killed 2,976 people will be held at Guantanamo Bay in January 2021

* Colonel W. Shane Cohen of the Air Force announced on Friday that the trial is set for January 11, 2021
* The case will take place at Camp Justice at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba
* Date announcement was included in a 10-page trial scheduling order that also said that prosecutors had until October 1 to get material to defense teams
* Cohen's announcement marks the first time that a trial judge in the case actually established a date
* Prosecutors had tried to get the ball rolling with two previous judges after the 2012 arraignment of the five men

A 2021 date has been established for the death-penalty trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other men charged as the masterminds behind the September 11 attack in New York City.

Colonel W. Shane Cohen of the Air Force announced on Friday that the trial is set for January 11, 2021. The case will take place at Camp Justice at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.

Khalid Sheikh (also spelled as Shaikh) Mohammed is said to be the architect behind the plot that killed 2,976 in New York City, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.

Cohen set the date so that a military jury could be selected, the New York Times reports. The selection process is said to take months, with various military personnel having to be flown in by groups to the base.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is so long overdue.

9/11 Suspects Still Haven’t Faced A Trial

The five accused 9/11 co-conspirators observe pretrial hearings in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Aug. 19, 2013. Janet Hamlin Illustration

VOA: 5 Suspects in US 9/11 Attacks Still Await Trial

In the United States, the wheels of justice sometimes grind slowly, but the case against five suspects who allegedly played pivotal roles in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. has lingered at a snail's pace.

Fifteen years or more after their apprehension, the five accused terrorists remain jailed at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo, Cuba. For a variety of reasons, U.S. authorities do not anticipate their trials will start any sooner than some time in 2020, and then could take several years to conclude.

The legal proceedings have been extraordinarily complex, with defense lawyers — a mix of civilian and military attorneys — filing hundreds of motions questioning the conduct of U.S. authorities in their apprehension, then detention and treatment of the suspects, first at secret sites in Thailand and Poland, and subsequently at Guantanamo.

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Update: Why these 9/11 monsters still haven’t faced a trial (Max Jaeger, NYPost)

WNU Editor: I will be surprised if they do face a trial in the next decade.

Why Is The U.S. Government Still Classifying Pages Of The 9/11 Report?

Samuel Oakford, VICE News: US Secrecy Slammed After New Claims That Saudi Royals Supported Al Qaeda

Update: Claims Against Saudis Cast New Light on Secret Pages of 9/11 Report (NYT)

WNU Editor: The still-classified 28 page section of the investigation by congressional intelligence committees into the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that examines crucial support given the hijackers is rearing its head again .... and justifiably so. I think now is the time to declassify that section of the report ... but I suspect that the intel and information that is in it is still explosive. On a side note .... I have no proof so this total speculation ... but I sometimes wonder if this is why the 9/11 trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees is still in limbo after 13 years .... too much sensitive information may get disclosed in open court.

Previous Posts

Former Al-Qaeda Operative Says Saudi Arabia's Royal Family Funded The 9/11 Terrorist Attack
Former Al Qaeda Operative: Saudi Princes Wanted To Shoot Down Air Force One With A Stinger Missile

Anotehr Delay In The 9/11 Trials

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, (2nd R) the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks, addresses the judge during the third day of pre-trial hearings in the 9/11 war crimes prosecution as depicted in this Pentagon-approved courtroom sketch at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, October 17, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Janet Hamlin

Family Members Of 9/11 Victims Storm Out Of Meeting With KSM Defense Team -- Washington Free Beacon

KSM attorney: ‘I enjoy my job’

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE—Years of anger and frustration reached a dramatic boiling point on Wednesday evening when one of the 9/11 victim’s relatives told a defense lawyer for terrorist mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to “go fuck yourself.”

Military proceedings for the accused terrorists being held at Guantanamo Bay came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday following revelations that the FBI had launched an investigation into what they claim is the defense team’s improper dissemination of several writings penned by Mohammed.

The hearings are set to resume early Thursday morning so that the prosecution can appoint a special appointee to deal with the fallout from the FBI investigation.

Several of the 9/11 victim’s relatives met with members of the defense for a tense session that ended with several emotional family members angrily storming out.

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My Comment: This is what happens when a trial has been politicized .... delay, delay, and more delay. But what I now frustrating is the almost complete media "black-out" on this travesty. With the exception of websites like the Washington Free Beacon .... no one in the main stream media is covering the anger that the 9/11 families are now feeling over this present state of affairs.

The 9/11 Trials Continue Their Slow Pace

September 11 Court Case Taking Years Before Trial -- Voice of America

WASHINGTON — It has been six years since Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other detainees at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were first charged with murder for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Why is it taking so long to bring them to trial?

Justice is moving slowly for the five men charged in connection with the murder of nearly 3,000 people in the 9/11 attacks.

They are being held in a maximum security prison at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay.

Alleged mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four others are charged with plotting the assaults.

Read more ....

My Comment: At this rate .... the accused will probably be convicted on the 15th anniversary of 9/11 (or later).

Update: The 9/11 trial is not the only terror trial that is proceeding slowly.

9/11 Trial To Start In 2016

(Brennan Linsley. Reuters)

9/11 Trial 'May Not Begin For Another Four Years' -- The Telegraph

The trial of the five men charged over the September 11 attacks on America will not be televised and may not begin for another four years, it has been disclosed.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his four co-conspirators are due to be tried at Guantanamo Bay military base for the murders of 2,976 people in what has been dubbed the 'trial of the century'.

But yesterday both the prosecution and defence conceded that the trial will not be televised, unlike many high profile trials in America.

And the defence claimed that, while the hearings have begun, they do not expect that actual trial to start until 2016 – 15 years after the attacks which prompted the USA's war on terror and remain the worst terror atrocity in history.

Read more ....

Update: The 9/11 Trial Could Be Stalled For Another Four Years -- Business Insider

My Comment: 15 years after 9/11 we will finally have a trial .... maybe .... probably .... possibly ....

Because Of Ramadan Guantanamo Hearing Delayed For 9/11 Suspects

Guantanamo Hearing Delayed For 9/11 Suspects Due To Ramadan -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The next hearing for five Guantanamo prisoners charged with plotting the September 11 attacks has been postponed for two weeks to allow the defendants to observe the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The chief judge in the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals, Army Colonel James Pohl, granted the delay on Monday for the alleged architect of the attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four co-defendants who could face the death penalty if convicted on charges of conspiring with al Qaeda and murdering 2,976 people in the hijacked plane attacks of 2001.

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Update #1: Sept. 11 hearing postponed for Ramadan: lawyer -- AFP
Update #2: 9/11 tribunal delays hearing set during Ramadan -- Politico

My Comment: I would not have been so accommodating.

The 9/11 Accused Don’t Want Guantanamo Hearings During Ramadan

Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Red Cross

9/11 Accused Don’t Want Guantanamo Hearings During Ramadan -- McClatchy News

Lawyers for accused Sept. 11 attacks mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his four co-defendants are seeking to postpone their Aug. 8-12 hearing at Guantánamo, noting it falls toward the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The trial judge, Army Col. James Pohl, set the date for the hearing in May and specifically ruled out an extension on grounds that it coincided with Islam’s fasting month. He noted in his order then that no defense lawyer at that point had raised objection to a hearing that coincided with Ramadan.

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My comment: If the 9/11 accused have their request approved .... it would then tell me the following (quoting Ray Bradbury) .... the gargoyles have taken over the cathedral.

9/11 Trials Begin

9/11 Suspects Defiant As US Court Attempts To Begin Trial Proceedings -- The Telegraph

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others accused of planning the 9/11 terrorist attacks have defiantly refused to take part in a disorderly court hearing where they were due to be charged with 2,976 counts of murder.

He has previously chosen to brag about his role as the mastermind of the worst terrorist atrocity in history.

But yesterday, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed sat mutely in his chair in a courtroom in the Guantanamo US naval base and refused to respond to a judge’s questions at the arraignment of five men accused of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The co-accused staged a show of silent defiance in a rocky start to the first court hearing of what is being described as the “trial of the century”.

Read more ....

More News On Yesterday's Court Proceedings Against Five 9/11 Conspirators

Anger, sighs as 9/11 families watch terror hearing -- FOX News
'Jihad in a courtroom': Defendants enrage families at Sept. 11 hearing -- MSNBC
Guantanamo Judge Grapples With Disruptive Terror Suspects -- Wall Street Journal
9/11 suspects refuse to answer judge's questions as Guantánamo trial opens -- The Guardian
Sept. 11 terrorism trial opens at Guantanamo -- L.A. Times
World watches as 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others go on trial -- Christian Science Monitor
Inside the Guantanamo courtroom -- CBS

My Comment: This is going to be a very long trial .... followed by even longer appeals.

9/11 'Mastermind' Khaled Sheikh Mohammed And 4 Others Charged

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, 4 Others Charged In 9/11 Attack -- CNN

(CNN) -- The United States on Wednesday announced charges against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and four others accused of involvement in the plot.

"If convicted, the five accused could be sentenced to death," the Defense Department said in a statement.

Along with Mohammed, the others are Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi.

Read more ....

More News On Khalid Sheikh Mohammed And 4 Others Being Charged For The 9/11 Attacks

9/11 'mastermind' Khaled Sheikh Mohammed charged -- The Telegraph
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others to be tried together at Guantanamo on charges over 9/11 -- Daily Mail
'9/11 planners' to face US trials -- BBC
Accused September 11 mastermind referred to trial at Guantanamo -- Reuters
Khalid Sheik Mohammed to face death penalty trial -- Washington Post
Accused 9/11 Mastermind Referred To Trial -- SKY News
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others formally charged over 9/11 attacks -- New York Post

9/11 Plotters To Be Tried In Guantanamo By A Military Commission

The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. (Getty Images/File)

9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed To Be Tried By Military Commission -- ABC News

Some Sept. 11 Suspects Were to Have Been Tried in New York City

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and four co-conspirators will be tried in a military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Department of Justice officials said today.

Mohammed was to have been tried in New York City, but city officials strongly objected to the move and Congress refused to appropriate funds to house Guantanamo inmates on mainland United States and to provide funds for a trial of extraordinary expense.

Read more ....

More News On Military Trials For 9/11 Conspirators

9/11 suspects to face military tribunal -- Yahoo News/AP
September 11 suspect to be tried at Guantanamo Bay -- Yahoo News/Reuters
9/11 mastermind to be tried at Guantanamo: US official -- Yahoo News/AFP
9/11 suspects to face military tribunal -- L.A. Times
In Reversal, 9/11 Plotter to Be Tried by Military Panel -- New York Times
Accused 9/11 terrorists to face military tribunals -- CNN
Terror Suspects Will Be Tried in Guantanamo -- Wall Street Journal
KSM to be tried by military commission at Gitmo; Holder set to make announcement today -- CBS News
Sept. 11 'Mastermind' To Be Tried By Guantanamo Military Commission -- NPR
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, 9/11 Co-Conspirators to Go to Military Commission Trial -- FOX News
In reversal, Sept. 11 plotters to be tried by military at Guantánamo -- Miami Herald
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed faces Guantanamo trial for 9/11 -- BBC
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to be tried in Gitmo military court -- USA Today

My Comment: No one in the media is going to talk about it .... but this decision by the Obama administration is an acknowledgement that former President Bush's decision on establishing Guantanamo after 9/11 was the right one.

The 9/11 Mastermind Will Be Held In A Military Prison Indefinitely

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is shown in this file photograph during his arrest on March 1, 2003. Credit: Reuters/Courtesy U.S.News & World Report/Files

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed Will Be Held In Military Prison Without A Trial Indefinitely: Report

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed will likely be held in military prison without a trial indefinitely as the Obama administration decides what to do with the 9/11 mastermind, according to a new report.

A trial - civilian or military - is not expected to happen before the next presidential election, the Washington Post reported Saturday. The Obama administration apparently fears backlash will come from either decision.

Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that his team is close to making a decision on the trial.

Read more ....

More News On The Trial For The 9/11 Mastermind

Opposition to U.S. trial likely to keep mastermind of 9/11 attacks in detention -- Washington Post
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, 9/11 Mastermind, Unlikely to Have Trial, Post Says -- Bloomberg
U.S. trial unlikely for 9/11 suspect Mohammed: report -- Reuters
9/11 mastermind to remain in detention without trial: report -- AFP
Cuomo: No Trial For 9/11 Mastermind Here -- CBS News
Cuomo: I Will Fight Having 9/11 Trials in New York -- NBC
Gov.-elect Cuomo opposes 9/11 trial in New York -- Washington Post/AP

U.S. Attorney General Holder: Decision On Where The Trial For 9/11 Mastermind To Be Made Soon

Holder: Decision 'Close' On 9/11 Trial -- Politico

The Obama Administration is on the verge of making a decision about where to try alleged September 11 plotters including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday.

"We have been working on it and I think we're close to the decision," Holder told reporters during a press availability in connection with a U.S.-Canada meeting at the Justice Department.

Read more ....

More News On Where The 9/11 Trial Will Be Held

U.S. close to decision on 9/11 trial for Mohammed -- Reuters
Sept. 11 Trial Location Decision Is Near, Holder Says -- San Francisco Chronicle/Bloomberg
Holder: U.S. to decide soon on trial for alleged 9/11 mastermind -- USA Today
Attorney general says 9/11 trial decision is near -- Washington Post/AP
Holder says feds close to 9/11 trial decision -- CNN
Attorney General Eric Holder: 'Close to a Decision' on 9/11 Trials -- ABC News
US nears decision on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial -- AFP
What’s Going on With the Khalid Sheik Mohammed Prosecution? -- Wall Street Journal

My Comment: No decision is going to be made until this case has been resolved. If there is an aquital, the outrage that will result will doom any possibility of a trial in New York City. If there is a conviction, this trial will then be used as proof that a successful 9/11 trial can be held in New York City.

No Decision Yet On Where To Hold The Trial For 9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad

Chances Dim For Swift 9/11 Decision -- Politico

Attorney General Eric Holder said the decision over where to hold the trial for alleged 9/11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammad was “weeks away” — three months ago.

Now advocates on both sides of the issue say they expect the Obama administration to punt the decision until after the November midterm elections— when the controversial plan could do less damage to the political fortunes of endangered Democrats and might face less resistance on Capitol Hill.

Holder last week explicitly denied the midterms had anything to do with the timing but would only say discussions are continuing. The White House had no comment.

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My Comment: Chances "dim for swift 9/11 decision" .... are you kidding .... they are dead.

What Is The Proper Venue To Have The 9/11 Trials? -- A Commentary

Military Commissions: The Right Venue For KSM -- Wall Street Journal

Handling unlawful combatants in a military court is consistent with the Geneva Conventions and encourages compliance with the laws of war.

Last week Attorney General Eric Holder announced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 conspirators may still be tried in a federal court in New York City. Why try these men in a major American city where they would require extraordinary security precautions and have a platform from which to spread their message? For that matter why should they but not other detainees be accorded the rights to a civilian trial at all?

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My Comment: A commentary that Attorney General Eric Holder should read .... but will not follow. He (and others in the administration) want their show trial even though the defendants have already admitted their guilt, and officials like Holder and even the President of the United States have already voice their opinion on what will be the eventual outcome.

U.S. AG Holder Does Not Rule Out New York 9/11 Trial

Attorney General Eric Holder testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
(James Berglie/ZUMApress.com)

Holder Won’t Rule Out N.Y. 9/11 Trial -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Wednesday that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and his accused co-conspirators in the Sept. 11 attacks may yet face trial in a federal court in the Southern District of New York, if not in Lower Manhattan.

A trial in New York is “not off the table,” Mr. Holder said, and the Obama administration may make a decision “in a number of weeks.”

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More News On AG Eric Holder's

Holder: NYC 'not off the table' as site of 9/11 terror trial -- Washington Post
Holder: Trial for 9/11 Defendants in New York Still Possible -- ABC News
Civilian trial for 9/11 suspects not ruled out, Holder says -- L.A. Times
Holder gets boost from Democrats on 9/11 trials -- Reuters
Holder: No decision on where to hold 9/11 trial -- Miami Herald/McClatchy News
Holder: No need to read Miranda rights to bin Laden if captured -- CNN
AG Holder Clarifies Why Bin Laden Won't Be In Court -- NPR
US Attorney General: Unlikely that Bin Laden will be Captured Alive -- Voice of America
Holder Defends 9/11 Civilian Trials, Defuses Critics -- Washington Independent
Brief Controversy? Holder Avoids One Issue -- FOX News
On Terror Trials, Obama's Policy Is No Policy -- The Atlantic

And So It Begins: Key Gitmo Detainee Who Help To Facilitate 9/11 Ordered Released

A watchtower at the Guantanamo detention facility.
Photo from Radio Free Europe

Judge Orders Release of Gitmo Detainee With Ties to 9/11 Attacks -- FOX News

WASHINGTON — A suspected Al Qaeda organizer once called "the highest value detainee" at Guantanamo Bay was ordered released by a federal judge in an order issued Monday.

Mohamedou Ould Slahi was accused in the 9/11 Commission report of helping recruit Mohammed Atta and other members of the Al Qaeda cell in Hamburg, Germany, that took part in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Military prosecutors suspected Slahi of links to other Al Qaeda operations, and considered seeking the death penalty against him while preparing possible charges in 2003 and 2004.

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More News On The Release of Mohamedou Ould Slahi

Key Gitmo Detainee Ordered Released -- Wall Street Journal
Judge orders release of Guantanamo detainee -- AP
Slahi Wins -- Attackerman

My Comment: If this stands, the precedent that it send is that all of the key 9/11 terror planners who were tortured (and they were tortured) must then be released. On a day where all the focus is on health care, this far reaching impact is all but ignored in most media reports.

Fallout From US Attorney General's Comments On Osama Bin Laden And 9/11 Trials Continues

Holder on Osama: We’ll Be Reading Miranda Rights to His Corpse -- Wall Street Journal

Well, we still don’t know the details on the trial for Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged 9/11 mastermind, but U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has a pretty good idea of what the Justice Department would do to Osama bin Laden were U.S. forces to find him: not all that much, because bin Laden won’t be captured. He’ll be killed.

That’s what Holder told Congress on Tuesday. Click here for the WaPo article; here for the National Law Journal article.

In exchanges with Republicans on the a House budget subcommittee that the WaPo called “testy” (big surprise there, eh?), Holder predicted that at the end of the day “we will be reading Miranda rights to the corpse of Osama bin Laden,” not to bin Laden as a prisoner.

During the hearing, Holder also made clear that he still doesn’t know what’s to become of KSM.

Read more ....

More News On US Attorney General Eric Holder's Comments On Bin Laden And 9/11 Trials

Holder: Bin Laden Unlikely to Be Captured Alive - -ABC News
Attorney general: Bin Laden won't be caught alive -- Washington Post
Holder: Bin Laden capture seen unlikely -- Washington Times
Eric Holder: US does not expect to capture Osama bin Laden alive -- Christian Science Monitor
Bin Laden will never face US trial, be caught alive: Holder -- AFP
Holder: Osama bin Laden will never face US trial -- AP
Osama will never be caught alive: US -- One India
Trying Osama -- The Economist

Holder: 'Weeks away' from decision on 9/11 trial -- AP
Holder defends criminal trials for 9/11 suspects -- Reuters
Holder Still Supports Criminal Trials for Alleged 9/11 Plotters -- New York Magazine
Holder: 9/11 Trial Decision "Weeks" Away -- NBC New York
Testy Holder Defends Civilian Trials for Terror Suspects -- Main Justice

Liz Cheney group to Eric Holder: 'We're at war' -- Politico
Is Eric Holder a dope? -- Power Line
Terrorists should be tried in court -- David Frakt, CNN

Uncertainty On The Venue For The 9/11 Trials Still Persists For The White House

White House Yet To Settle On Venue For 9/11 Trials -- Wall Street Journal

The Obama administration is keeping its options open on where to try the alleged perpetrators of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

White House adviser David Axelrod, speaking Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said the administration hasn’t made a final decision on the issue yet. “Obviously there are a series of things we have to weigh.” He said it “has to influence our thinking” that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, citing costs, opposed holding civilian trials for terror suspects in the city.

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My Comment: A friend of mine summed it up best about the Administrations 9/11 trial kerfuffle. They are a bunch of law professors groping for a political solution on a legal matter that should be put in front of a military commission.

Is US Attorney General Eric Holder On The Way Out?

Attorney General Holder and President Obama

Decision On 9/11 Trial Could Undercut Holder -- Wall Street Journal

President Barack Obama's pending decision on where to try alleged plotters of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks threatens to undercut his attorney general, who followed the president's own guidelines in announcing the suspects would be tried in civilian courts.

White House officials said they were now leaning toward a military trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other defendants as part of an effort to make a deal with lawmakers. The aim is to save the administration's broader goal of allowing the Justice Department to try other terror suspects in civilian courts and shutting down the Guantanamo Bay prison.

Read more ....

My Comment: Eric Holder was chosen by President Obama to be Attorney General for the simple reason being that President Obama agrees with much (if not all) of Eric Holder's legal beliefs and interpretations. Smacking down Holder will be equivalent to smacking himself down. But having said that .... President Obama is a politician and his world revolves around politics. If it is politically expedient for him to undercut Holder on this issue .... I am betting that he will.

My prediction .... in the next few months a decision will be made that civilian and military trials will be applied to Guantanamo detainees on a case by case basis. At the same time, the official date for the closure of Guantanamo will be made, and in this case President Obama's promise for closure will be met.