Reaction: Do you support military tribunals?

President Obama is under attack from the progressive blogosphere as a result of his decision to reinstate military tribunals for suspected terrorists but is the criticism fair ?

The Boston Globe reports that Senator Patrick Leahy D-VT, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is defending the President's decision:

"I objected to the military commissions that were created by the Bush-Cheney administration because they stripped away critical protections in our laws," Leahy said in a statement yesterday. "People in American custody must be treated fairly, humanely and in accordance with our laws. I look forward to reviewing the Obama administration's proposals for providing a fair system of military commissions."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/05/16/obama_keeps_tribunals_draws_ire/?page=2

Democratic pollster Douglas Schoen gave his insights in today's Washington Post:

"Rather than betraying the left, President Obama has effectively isolated it with his decision to continue to use military commissions to try alleged terrorists. "

"First he got Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, to endorse his decision by acknowledging publicly that, "military commissions can play a legitimate role in prosecuting" detainees. "

"And by granting detainees additional legal protections beyond those offered by the Bush administration, Obama appears to have limited public criticism largely to interest groups and human rights groups such as the ACLU, Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First. "

"Obama also obviously saw an opportunity to announce his decision when the liberal Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi -- who could have been expected to be an outspoken opponent of his decision -- was clearly distracted. He announced his decision on a day during which CIA Director Leon Panetta defended the agency in the ongoing dispute about what Pelosi knew about waterboarding and when she knew it. "

"If the president is able to avoid serious and sustained criticism from the left for his decision to continue to employ military tribunals, he will be better able to deal with the equally thorny issue of how and when to close down the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and what to do about the detainees still housed there. "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/15/AR2009051503796.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

The President appears to have acted on the basis of national security interests and while annoying some on the left, he will be supported by mainstream public opinion.