After five years of imprisonment and George W. Bush's "enhanced interrogation techniques," the man who once drove Osama bin Laden's car was sentenced by a panel handpicked by the Pentagon to 5 1/2 years. Since he gets credit for time already served, that makes him eligible for release in 5 months. His case is subject to mandatory review by a Pentagon official who can shorten the sentence, but is prohibited from extending it. Prosecutors were seeking a sentence of 30 years to life.

Bush says simply that we will not release anyone who still poses a threat. Just ignore the ruling of his own concocted military commission, and keep the man locked up 'till he dies. Some "rule of law."

Hamdan said he worked as a driver to support his family. He has a 4th-grade education and two daughters. He needed a job.

Bush says that makes him one of the "worst of the worst."

The handpicked panel of military jurists seem to disagree. The lead judge told Mr. Hamdan, "I hope the day comes that you return to your wife and daughters and your country, and you're able to be a provider, a father, and a husband in the best sense of all those terms." Mr. Hamdan responded: "God willing." It might be understandable if Republicans are upset by the verdict and the sentence. The case was chosen to be the first prosecution because it was a "slam-dunk." In the end, Hamdan was convicted only of what he admitted to from the very beginning: he drove a car for someone because he needed a job. That someone happened to be Osama bin Laden. So he provided "material support for terrorism: personnel; himself." But the general Republican mindset is unforgivable. Most of them, even those not quite bold enough to say it, believe exactly what this commenter wrote in response to a story about the sentence at ABC News: