It's good to know…

...that there are some things they still can't do here.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush cannot order the military to indefinitely imprison a suspected al Qaeda operative, who is the only foreign national held in the United States as an "enemy combatant," a court ruled on Monday.

The 2-1 appellate ruling was a major setback for Bush's contention in the war on terrorism that he has the power to detain people in the United States without charging them.

The court panel based in Richmond, Virginia, ruled that the Qatari national involved, Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, must be released from military custody.

Judge Diana Gribbon Motz explains what every schoolboy should know…

"The government cannot subject al-Marri to indefinite military detention. For in the United States, the military cannot seize and imprison civilians -- let alone imprison them indefinitely."

No, they cannot. Not this time.

And not for Jose Padilla, whose case was ordered into civilian criminal courts.

Or for Yaser Esam Hamdi, who was removed from detention and returned to his homeland, Saudi Arabia.

And not for you and me thanks to judges who uphold their oaths to defend the Constitution.

Padilla, Hamdi, al-Mari. Three strikes for Bushco's™ 'enemy combatant' policy.

And every schoolboy should know what that means, too.