[inquest]

Well, that's a little better, anyway. So does this mean that, in your view, the people who laid the foundations for our form of government had nothing to say that we'll find relevant today?

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Occasionally - but remember, they were men, ordinary flawed men, all of whom were writing in accordance with their worldview as was shaped in the middle of the 18th century.

One of the things that we are supposed to do with our faculty for reason and adaptation is to confront each new issue and challenge with solutions that work within the framework of American ideals - not lock ourselves into a death pact that confines us to reactive moves only.

In other words, hanging a terrorist after the fact brings scant comfort to his victims and does not dissuade his colleagues one iota - shutting him down in advance works one helluva lot better.