Unlike his victims, of course.

Barack Obama leads condemnation of Scotland for freeing Lockerbie bomber

The US President’s criticism of the “mistake” added to a growing backlash against the Scottish decision to free the biggest mass murderer in British legal history on compassionate grounds.

Hours after the Scottish National Party administration in Edinburgh announced its decision to free him, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, the only man convicted of the 1988 atrocity, flew home to a hero’s welcome in Tripoli.

Hot Air has this surprising headline:

Unbelievable: Lockerbie bomber gets hero’s welcome in Libya

I’m giving you the CBS clip because it includes interviews with families of the victims, but for a full minute’s worth of the “triumphant” mood on the ground in Libya, watch Cavuto. There’s nothing unusual about this, incidentally: Palestinians notoriously celebrated on 9/11 and Lebanese rejoiced at the release of Hezbollah child-killer Samir Kuntar. It’s one thing to welcome home a soldier who fought enemy combatants; these people welcome home terrorists who mass-murder civilians. Pure, unapologetic savagery. Exit quotation: “He has … reported a feeling of isolation–cultural, religious, social and language. He has a strong sense of family duty.”

Sorry, but maybe they are dumbfounded, I am not.  Did we really expect anything less?

The families of the victims are understandably upset:

“I think it’s horrible,” fumed Kara Weipz of New Jersey, whose 20-year-old brother was a Syracuse student on board the flight. “I don’t no how to show compassion for someone who showed no remorse.” 

Susan Cohen, also of New Jersey, lost her 20-year-old daughter Theodora in the bombing.

“I think it’s appalling, disgusting and so sickening I can hardly find the words to describe it,” she said. “Lockerbie looks like it never happened now. There isn’t anybody in prison for it.” 

So, why did he go free?  Scotland was being compassionate:

The Scottish courts called it an act of compassion to free Al-Megrahi because he is dying of prostate cancer. Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said today that there had been a significant deterioration in the health of al-Megrahi.

MacAskill said he stood by al-Megrahi’s conviction and the sentence for “the worst terrorist atrocity ever committed on U.K. soil.”
    
He said he ruled out sending the bomber back to Libya under a prisoner-transfer agreement, saying the U.S. victims had been given assurances that al-Megrahi would serve out his sentence in Scotland.
    
But he said that as a prisoner given less than three months to live by doctors, al-Megrahi was eligible for compassionate release.

Sorry, having a hard time feeling sorry for the guy.  He had longer to live than his victims.

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