Military tribunal or civil court for terror suspects?

My good pal Bill O'Reilly, a dedicated reader of this column, has been beating the drum loudly in favor of military tribunals for terror suspects.

Bill seems to believe that Guantánamo Bay has been a smashing success for America - not a propaganda bonanza for our enemies.

He doesn't like to focus on the couple of hundred terrorists tried, convicted and sentenced (to death even) in federal court, most of them in the Bush years. What a beacon of American justice around the world! On Fox the other night, I pointed out these facts, of course. But Mr. O kept dreaming up reasons to sidestep the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth amendments to the U.S. Constitution when it comes to this one crime.

"Congress passed a law that says you can do these things in front of military tribunals," he said.

"Justice is never popular," I reminded him. "Sometimes it's even expensive. But in our system, we don't put it to a vote, my friend. Sometimes the most popular thing is a lynch mob in the town square. And we don't do that either."

He did not sound moved.

"Do a poll among Long Island readers," he pleaded, "the seven who read your column . . . Would you prefer a military tribunal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his thugs - or civilian court?"

I corrected my friend on his math - "maybe 7 million" - and I agreed to hold my finger in the LI breeze. The truth is, I don't care how the results come out. Popular isn't always right. Someone will always toss a principle out the window in a big emotional case.

But take the poll if you care to. You'll find it at newsday.com. Or click directly on tinyurl.com/terrorpoll.

Who knows, Bill O'Reilly. We might both be surprised.

ASKED AND

UNANSWERED: Anyone else thinking, "Remedial driver's ed for everyone"? That was a whole lot of car wrecks this week . . . Hey, Interstate National Dealer Service: What's so great about Georgia? You think the workers down there are half as smart as the ones you're laying off in Uniondale? . . . Will Danny Hakim file already? It's Valentine's Day . . . The one lesson David Paterson and Sarah Palin both need to learn? Could it be, "Good politicians don't feel sorry for themselves"? . . . Why won't the Connecticut medical examiner say what mix of drugs killed André Narcisse, a Yale sophomore from Roosevelt? Wouldn't that serve as a warning to other kids? . . . Baby carriage hit-and-run in Woodmere? Have you ever heard of a less sympathetic driver than that? . . . Should you be proud or chagrined that, despite the recent tumble, LI still has the seventh-highest housing prices in America? That depends - are you a buyer or a seller? . . . Everyone agrees it a bad thing, but does any really know WHY Long Island has a heroin boom? . . . Now that lovemyshoes.com president Robert Yeganeh has axed Dina Lohan's Shoe-Han line of shoes, how 'bout a designer product from Lindsay dad Michael Lohan? He must have something left to sell.

E-mail ellis@henican.com

Follow at Twitter.com/henican