The Weeks Review

'America, You Lost'

"America, you lost. I won," Moussaoui said, clapping his hands as
he was led out of the courtroom after the verdict was read.

Personally, after his conviction I would rather Moussaoui have been taken to the back of the courthouse, shot in the back of the head, and his body discarded in a dumpster full of swine entrails. But that's just me.

Peggy Noonan puts it a bit more elegantly, as usual:

Excuse me, I'm sorry, and I beg your pardon, but the jury's decision on Moussaoui gives me a very bad feeling. What we witnessed here was not the higher compassion but a dizzy failure of nerve.

From the moment the decision was announced yesterday, everyone, all the parties involved--the cable jockeys, the legal analysts, the politicians, the victim representatives--showed an elaborate and jarring politesse. "We thank the jury." "I accept the verdict of course." "We can't question their hard work." "I know they did their best." "We thank the media for their hard work in covering this trial." "I don't want to second-guess the jury."

How removed from our base passions we've become. Or hope to seem.

Exactly.