Feynman perfectly explains the problem we have in this thread. Jump to 0m50s if the link doesn't.
If you're talking to someone who truly (and I never know with ace) believes that trials where the victor is already determined, or one where "everyone" knows the result before the trial begins, then you can't even begin to have a conversation about this trial in any sort of objective light. You're coming from entirely different assumptions, assumptions about what makes us America, about when the 'end justifies the means' (if ever), about whether being "at war" with someone should determine our actions, etc. The reason for this derailment is because ace made it a point to get his position addressed, and it's entirely a different topic than the OP's. You can't ever reach agreement on THIS issue if you don't even come from a similar set of assumptions about the rule of law or the nature of America.