2) Thank you for writing 4 sentences on why I'm so stupid, and zero sentences on why the case against this guy might fall apart.
3) Can anyone else summarize why the case is falling apart?
I haven't heard this from any of the legal wizards yet.
Unlike a civilian court, there's no unwritten 'you-must-understand-these-charges-to-the-letter-or-we-can't-prosecute-you' clause in the military justice system. Contradictory to my earlier statement, I think the ONLY reason you saw a mistrial here was the fact that there was so much media attention and because the war is so unpopular with - now - a majority of
Americans.
My word is this - if this had happened back in 2003, when so many people were (wrongly) on the pro-war bandwagon, they would've corrected the paperwork and resumed the trial the following day.
As the law is currently written, he must be found guilty and must be sentenced accordingly. I do not dispute that. I would, however, like to see the laws changed, but anyone who is in or who has served in the military understands why things operate the way that they do.