PEGGY NOONAN thinks that Moussaoui should have gotten death:

Excuse me, I’m sorry, and I beg your pardon, but the jury’s decision on Moussaoui gives me a very bad feeling. What we witnessed here was not the higher compassion but a dizzy failure of nerve.

From the moment the decision was announced yesterday, everyone, all the parties involved–the cable jockeys, the legal analysts, the politicians, the victim representatives–showed an elaborate and jarring politesse. “We thank the jury.” “I accept the verdict of course.” “We can’t question their hard work.” “I know they did their best.” “We thank the media for their hard work in covering this trial.” “I don’t want to second-guess the jury.”

How removed from our base passions we’ve become. Or hope to seem.

Read the whole thing. I confess that I’m more interested in seeing the deaths of people who are still in a position to harm us, but she nonethless makes a good point. Paul Mirengoff’s lawyerly take is here.