Hamdan might be able to see his family again in his lifetime

Wow, poor, illiterate, 4th grade educated, Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's driver, could theoretically see his family again in five months. I am not holding my breath, but I am pleased for him. Nevermind that we have been holding him illegally for so long and supposedly have the right to continue to do so after he has served the remainder of his sentence. Reading the coverage, the judge and the defense attorney in the case did their jobs and brought a glimpse of humanity to the proceedings. Compared to what Guantanamo now stands for, it almost sounded like a goddamned love fest there today:

[From the New York Times]

During pretrial proceedings, Mr. Hamdan, a father of two daughters in Yemen, and the judge, a career Navy lawyer, had regularly exchanged smiles and, on occasion, chats. Before he left the bench, Judge Allred said a few parting words to the man he had gotten to know in a most unusual way.

“Mr. Hamdan,” Judge Allred said, “I hope the day comes that you are able to return to your wife and daughters and your country.”

“Inshallah,” Mr. Hamdan said in Arabic, before an interpreter gave the English translation of “God willing.”

“Inshallah,” Judge Allred responded.

Inshallah, indeed. (Now, if any of my god fearing Republican family heard this, they would skewer me.)