Not particularly satisfying…

…but probably the best outcome he could hope for, given the rules put in place (i.e., no defense allowed)...

A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the court-martial of an Army lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq, saying the soldier did not fully understand a document he signed admitting to elements of the charges.

Prosecutors said 1st Lt. Ehren Watada admitted in the document that he had a duty to go to Iraq with his fellow soldiers.

Watada, however, said he admitted only that he did not go to Iraq with his unit, not that he had a duty to go.

Watada's lawyer seems to think double jeopardy is in play, but I doubt it. Best thing for all parties now would be a general discharge for the Lieutenant for the good of the service. The question is how anxious the military prosecutors are to create a martyr for the anti-war movement. I want him on the street, and on the podium, but Ehren Watada is probably a more potent symbol in a cell.

Everybody's better off if that never happens, though.