Abdul Rahman - Better like this

Some have protested that the release of Abdul Rahman on a techicality merely sidesteps the issue and is by no means a victory for religious freedom. True, but not the point.

Karzai obviously doesn't have the power base to take on the mullahs. It just wasn't a realistic option given the circumstances. Even releasing him in this way, without overt political interference in the judicial process, is going to cause him enough headaches. Allowing Sharia to take its course would have antagonised the very people who put him there (us), so that was out as well. This is the best solution in the circumstances.