"Me, I'm happy that "this political climate" keeps the government from expelling law-abiding citizens from the country. You should also be happy, because it means we are a nation of laws."
You're assuming that they are, in fact, law abiding.
"In exchange for the charges being dropped, he agreed to renounce his (legally dubious) citizenship."
Legally dubious? As I recall, he was born in Louisiana. Citizenship has been revoked, or at least proceedings started, for naturalized citizens for merely supporting terrorist "charities".
"You should also be happy, because it means we are a nation of laws."
We are a nation at war. You know, Kerry would've treated this as a law enforcement, react after the crime, thing too.
That's what the law assumes. The burden of proof is on the accuser.
Legally dubious? As I recall, he was born in Louisiana
The question of his citizenship revolved around whether fighting with Taliban forces constituted fighting for a "foreign army" -- a de facto renunciation of U.S. citizenship. Because the Taliban was not recognized by the government of the United States, their army could also be considered a militia, such as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade or the mercenary armies of southern Africa in the 1970s.
We are a nation at war.
All the more reason to respect the laws. Laws provide discipline and when the rule of law is ignored, chaos ensues. And a chaotic country is harder to defend than a united one.