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By Greg Pierce

LEGAL DAGGER

"Take the iconic 'I Love New York' poster and plunge a dagger into its heart. That's what the Obama administration is doing by bringing the mastermind of 9/11 and other terror freaks here for trial," New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin writes.

"We don't deserve this. Why are we being punished again?" Mr. Goodwin asked.

Attorney General Eric H. HolderJr.'s decision to ship Khalid ShaikhMohammed "and four other Guantanamo Bay prisoners to Manhattan for federal trials is beyond bad judgment."

"It is a radical call that puts his leftist legal theories over public safety and common sense. The war on terror is being relabeled as a crime problem, in the very shadow of Ground Zero.

"Mohammed and his murderous crew don't belong in civilian courts, where they will get defendant rights designed for ordinary criminal suspects. They declared war on our nation, were captured on foreign battlefields and deserve no presumption of innocence or other constitutional protections.

"They'll use our liberties to turn the trial into propaganda for their warped cause. Their images and words will fly around the world as fodder for a new generation of jihadists. The federal courthouse and detention center will become a fortress. The judge, prosecutors, witnesses, federal agents and jury will need protection, some for years. It's madness."

BLUNT LOGIC

"The president has been taking time thinking about Afghanistan," Peggy Noonan writes at www.opinion journal.com.

"I cannot see why this is bad. If he's really thinking, he's not dithering - thought can be harder than action, weighing plans as hard as choosing and executing one. A question of such consequence deserves pondering. A president ought to summon and hear counsel before committing or removing American troops," Miss Noonan said.