A. Barton Hinkle on the Underwear Bomber and Civilian Trials

Something remarkable didn't happen last week: Nobody blew up Detroit. This is a stunning development. It is stunning because Detroit is the city where, on Thursday, a federal judge sentenced Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to life behind bars. This is not what was supposed to happen, writes A. Barton Hinkle. Three years ago, a lot of people—Republicans and conservatives, mostly—were pulling their hair out in (pardon the term) sheer terror at the very thought of trying terrorist suspects in civilian court.