Osama's 'Media Man' Talks Trash at Club Gitmo Hearing

Don't forget now, this is one of the guys the ACLU is fighting hard for and who Democrats would happily have transferred to our soil.

Osama bin Laden's suspected "media director" rejected U.S. terrorism court proceedings against him and renewed his allegiance to the al Qaeda leader on Wednesday in a hearing marred by technical flaws in a new Guantanamo courtroom.

With the lights momentarily out due to a power failure in the windowless military courtroom set up to try Guantanamo prisoners, Al Hamza Ahmad Suliman al Bahlul declined to enter a plea at his arraignment on three terrorism-related charges.

He had earlier held up a handwritten "boycott" sign and declined to answer when asked whether he was rejecting his military attorney, though in a lengthy statement to the court he indicated he would not contest the charges against him.

"I am not going to say I'm not from al Qaeda," Bahlul said. "We will continue in our jihad and nothing is going to stop us."

Question for Democrats. Do you believe him when he says that?

Bahlul, who is from Yemen, was charged with conspiracy, solicitation to commit murder and providing material support for terrorism. He was accused of preparing a propaganda video glorifying the attack on the American destroyer Cole, preparing the videotaped will of Sept. 11 ringleader Mohamed Atta, and operating computer and communications gear for bin Laden.

"I am renewing my allegiance to Sheikh Osama bin Laden," said Bahlul, who wore a beard and loose green shirt as he sat at the corner of the defense table, with two military bailiffs behind him.

I get the feeling this guy is intimately familiar with Sami al-Hajj.

Earlier flaws in the audio and visual systems prevented journalists and other observers from hearing the opening proceedings in the viewers' gallery behind a soundproof double-glass curtain.

The flaws also frustrated Brownback, who moved about the courtroom in search of a working microphone and complained, "I don't know what's wrong with the audio in this place."

Bahlul was unflustered. Apparently referring to the observers' signals of audio problems, he said, "I am a media man myself. I know the effect of media. Trust me I really don't care."