By Charlie Savage, New York Times, Feb 28/29, 2012

WASHINGTON — Last year, the Obama administration strongly objected to a Congressional mandate that foreigners suspected of being Al Qaeda operatives be held in military custody rather than go through the civilian criminal justice system.
On Tuesday, President Obama sought to have the last word, issuing waivers that would exempt sweeping categories of future prisoners from the requirement, which became law in December.

The rule, imposed by Congress, applies only to a narrow category of terrorism suspects: those who are not American citizens, who are deemed to be part of Al Qaeda or its allies and who are suspected of participating in a terrorist plot against the United States or its allies.

The provision, which the administration called unwise and unnecessary when it was proposed by lawmakers, became another flash point in the debate over whether terrorism suspects should be handled exclusively as wartime prisoners, as many Republicans argue, or whether the civilian criminal justice system should remain an option, a more flexible approach backed by the Obama administration [.....]