Khalid Sheikh Mohammad

Mr. "KSM" confessed to a Federal tribunal that he was the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. And the East Africa bombings. And the King David Hotel bombing. And the conquest of Spain. And the fall of the Roman Empire. OK, not quite, but Mohammad did confess to planning 31 terror attacks, many of which never happened. James Taranto has the littany at BOTWT.

Do we believe this guy? The Feds are (wisely) staying mum. But, even if he wasn't tortured, coerced, or tricked into making these confessions, do we really believe he's all that he says he is? As an enemy combatant, he's looking at the U.S. as a mortal, cosmic evil. That is, he's not trying to plea bargain. So if you have to be hanged as a terrorist, why be hanged as a second-tier terrorist? Heck, if you're gonna string me up, KSM might be thinking, string me up for a fantastic (and possibly fantastical) string of crimes!

Of course, this doesn't mean KSM is just a delusional nutcase. He has some proof of his own 'terror cred':

I decapitated with my blessed right hand the head of the American Jew, [Wall Street Journal reporter] Daniel Pearl, in the city of Karachi, Pakistan. For those who would like to confirm, there are pictures of me on the Internet holding his head.

I'm glad the U.S. has captured this guy: he hates us and claims he has murdered many, one even with his own hand, and he seems to pose a high risk for recidivism. So fry him, string him up, or whatever they do these days. But let's not swallow his 'confessions' whole; he has no incentive to tell us the truth, and plenty of incentive to lie.