This is a travesty of justice.

Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen held for 3 1/2 years as an enemy combatant, was convicted Thursday of helping Islamic extremists and plotting overseas attacks in a case that came to symbolize the Bush administration's zeal to clamp down on terrorism.

But it was hardly a complete victory for the government. When Padilla was arrested in the months following the 2001 terrorist attacks, authorities touted him as a key al-Qaida operative who planned to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" in a U.S. city. That allegation never made it to court.

Instead, after a three-month trial and only a day and a half of deliberations, the 36-year-old Padilla and his foreign-born co-defendants were convicted of conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people and two counts of providing material support to terrorists.

This was a trial that the White House could not afford to lose. But that certainly doesn't mean that justice was done.

This guy is just a scape goat to put a face on all of the people scooped up as we cowered in fear after 9-11 and demanded that our government do something, do anything to make us feel safe again. But the case against this guy was clearly put together with chewing gum and bailing wire and if the jury wasn't afraid of getting put on some government list, like the one I am undoubtedly on, they would have laughed this case right out of court.

I don't think that Mr. Padilla is completely without some fault here, but he certainly does not deserve to be pilloried by a criminal administration that is completely out of control.