Are we supposed to laugh?
Dean Not Ready to Pronounce Bin Laden Guilty
URL:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,106758,00.html
Friday, December 26, 2003
CONCORD, N.H. — Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean (search) says it's premature to recommend what penalty Usama bin Laden (search) should face before he's been legally determined to be guilty of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Asked whether bin Laden should be tried in the United States and put to death, Dean told The Concord Monitor, "I still have this old-fashioned notion that even with people like Usama, who is very likely to be found guilty, we should do our best not to, in positions of executive power, not to prejudge jury trials."
In an interview with the New Hampshire newspaper for Friday editions, Dean added: "I'm sure that is the correct sentiment of most Americans, but I do think if you're running for president, or if you are president, it's best to say that the full range of penalties should be available. But it's not so great to prejudge the judicial system."
Calling Iraq "probably the best place" for Saddam Hussein to be tried, Dean said he is willing "to be flexible about that because I don't think it's essential to the security interests of the United States."
Dean said he plans to keep reminding Democrats that he, unlike his major rivals for the nomination, opposed the Iraq war, in spite of polls showing the vast majority of the American public supporting the invasion at the time.
Asked how he would persuade people who were not opposed to the war to vote for him instead of President Bush (search), Dean responded, "By going after him on terrorism, where he's really weak."
Dean questioned whether the Bush administration's use of force against Iraq had anything to do with Libya's announcement that it will scrap its programs for weapons of mass destruction. |
