Detainees On The Potomac

The citizens of Alexandria, Virginia voted for Barack Obama over John McCain by a margin of 71% to 25%.

Apparently in their enthusiasm for change, Alexandria’s Democrats did not fully consider the local impact of the President’s repeated promise to close the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

The Washington Post reports today that the denizens of Alexandria are up-in-arms over the possibility that Gitmo detainees might be tried at the federal courthouse in Alexandria – the same location of Zacarias Moussaoui’s trial.

So long as advocacy for shuttering Gitmo was just another way to distance oneself from the rubes in Bush country, Alexandria’s Democrats happily embraced the closing of Gitmo. It would be a cleansing act after 8 years of parochial Republican rule. No doubt this Alexandria voter spoke for many when she explained her vote for Obama: “When I go on vacation in other countries, people won’t throw their noses up because I’m an American.” And as Obama often reminded the electorate, closing Gitmo would go a long way toward restoring America’s moral credibility in most foreign vacation spots.

One would not be wrong to think that the most vocal supporters of closing Gitmo would also be the most eager to house these terrorists and host their civilian trials. After all, closing Gitmo is critical to maintaining America’s stature in the world and reestablishing constitutional norms.

Mayor William Euille (D) has made clear, however, that Alexandria’s commitment to constitutional values only goes so far. “We would be absolutely opposed to relocating Guantanamo prisoners to Alexandria. We would do everything in our power to lobby the president, the governor, the Congress and everyone else to stop it. We've had this experience, and it was unpleasant. Let someone else have it.”

Too many road closures. Too much media. Too much inconvenience.

For 8 years Democrats smeared Republicans as eagerly abandoning constitutional principles in a misguided fight against international terrorism.

Yet when given the chance, Alexandria’s Democrats quickly passed on their commitment to restoring the rule of law... lest they be inconvenienced by the occasional road block.