The Obama Administration will announce this afternoon what's been expected for about a year now: Self-described 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed won't be tried in a New York civilian court as originally planned and instead will go before a military commission at Guantanamo Bay. That's an unusual way to follow up the PR blitz surrounding your campaign launch, isn't it? By caving? No! Shut up! Fewer questions, more donations!

It would have been easier for Obama to carry through his plan for KSM if he had any support — or at least not active opposition — from either party in Congress. Remember the 2008 elections, when closing Guantanamo Bay was a misty-eyed cheering line at every Democratic event? People weren't especially interested in this after all. Trying terrorists in Article III civilian courts is still horrendously unpopular. And an unusually unified Congress has done everything in its power to stop it. Sen. Harry Reid himself has suggested that suspected terrorists could use their magical powers to escape during their transfer to American soil. There's such an overwhelming level of Fail surrounding this issue that Con Air-esque escape warnings are considered acceptable lines of argumentation. Maybe the administration can try broaching the subject again in a few years, if/when people have jobs.

[Image of KSM via AP]