A Middle Ground on Enemy Combatants

Amid the mudslinging, we still haven't found a good way to prosecute enemy combatants. Here's one

Brennan Linsley / AP

"The soldier and the lawyer may both love this country with equal passion," Barack Obama said in his elegant Notre Dame commencement speech, "and yet reach very different conclusions on the specific steps needed to protect us from harm." You can say that again. In recent weeks, the President and just about every other major politician from both parties have been boggled by soldier-lawyer disputes. Some have been small: whether or not House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was adequately briefed on the CIA's use of waterboarding in 2002. Others cut to the core of asymmetrical warfare, especially the question of...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!