I don't recall that they were. I do, though, recall that you harp all the time about the war crime of detaining people without cause, or hearing. So what's the point of this particular rant?

Oh, I see:
If Bush or members of his inner circle are shown to have approved the flight of the prominent Saudi Arabian citizens, it could be damaging to Bush, who has staked his re-election campaign in large measure to his carefully built image as the steady leader of the war against terrorism.

Or not.

What happened with the bin Ladens was the dousing of a smolder, which could have blown into a wildfire of racial violence to sweep this nation. Spiriting the bin Laden family members away may very well have saved lives, both theirs, and ours.

But, whatever you do, don't go there,
Dan