"Col. Morris Davis, the former chief prosecutor in Guantánamo, put the trial in a disturbing light. He testified that he was informed by his superiors that only guilty verdicts would be tolerated. He also said that he was told to bring high-profile cases quickly to help Republicans score a pre-election public relations coup."
From the New York Times, via Yasmin and Molly's Blog.

Salim Hamid Hamdan, having been sequestrated at the Guantanamo Gulag for five years, was put on trial and found guilty of being Usama Bin Ladin's driver. He was sentenced to five years and five months imprisonment.
I assumed that this sentence was passed because he was about to be released and might sue for false imprisonment. Having a guilty verdict against him would have forestalled that action.
However it seems I got it wrong. We are now informed that, on serving out his sentence, Hamdan will continue to be held as an enemy combatant. So Col. Davis's election connection seems to be the only reason for this farce.
Only in America - sorry! Only in not-America.