What "Enemy Combatant"?

After nearly 3 years, it looks like Yasser Hamdi is about to be sprung from the Navy brig to which he was consigned by the Feds' arbitrary determination that he was an "enemy combatant." Hamdi may well have been a full-fledged member of the Taliban or even Al Qaeda, but it would have been nice if the Feds had had to prove that in open court.

However, when confronted by a man who has at long last been given his right to a day in court, it turns out that John Ashcroft's Justice Department either can't be bothered to prove that Hamdi is a real menace to our security, or perhaps more likely, admit that he never posed much danger to our national security. The Hamdi case screams out the danger of confining people indefinitely on just the say so of Federal officials.