Wait. A man was sentenced to 66 months in prison, most of which he’s already served and then when he gets out he stays in forever?

Right.

The White House-chosen military panel - not a jury - at Camp Justice at occupied Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, issued a split decision Wednesday in the case of the notorious driver of Osama bin Laden, Salim Hamdan. The panel acquitted him on the original conspiracy charges, but convicted him of material support for terrorism.

It was the first “trial” under the Military Commissions Act of 2006.

Today, on the panel’s recommendation, the “judge” in the case sentenced Hamdan to a mere 66 months, minus the time he’s already spent in detention. Though the “prosecutors” had asked for 30 years to life, it would seem he would be free to go after about 5 months, according to McClatchy Newspapers who’ve apparently counted.

But as announced by the military on Tuesday, even if Hamdan had been acquitted, they would still hold him as an enemy combatant for the rest of his life anyway - as they will after he’s served his 5 months.

Hail Ceasar!

The other Scott Horton and Dahr Jamail will be the featured guests on the Scott Horton Show at Antiwar Radio on Thursday, August 7th.

Horton will discuss the Hamdan conviction at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba at 12:15PM Eastern.

Jamail will discuss the new cooperation between the Sons of Iraq and the Iraqi Army at 1:15PM Eastern.

The other Scott Horton is a contributing editor at Harper’s magazine and pens the blog, No Comment. A New York attorney known for his work in emerging markets and international law, especially human rights law and the law of armed conflict, Horton lectures at Columbia Law School.

Dahr Jamail is a journalist for the Inter Press Service, Le Monde Diplomatique, and many other outlets.

The Scott Horton Show airs Monday through Friday from 12PM-2PM Eastern on KAOS 92.7FM. Additional feeds and archives available at Antiwar Radio.