This opinion piece by Michael B. Mukasey criticizes Obama’s reaction statements to Abdulmutallab’s actions, challenges the relevance of Yemen’s “crushing poverty” in its terrorism problem, and connects the country’s insurgency with the Yemeni government.
It also supports lengthy detention time in military custody for Abdulmutallab, and criticizes taking a civilian law approach to his prosecution. According to Mukasey, this would foster better intelligence collection from Abdulmutallab, and position him as an information source rather than a criminal who must be punished.
