Remember Jose Padilla?

The suspected dirty bomber's trial is just about over after absolutely no fanfare in the national media. It's somewhat surprising the left didn't get a little louder based on previous wheezing but perhaps the calm had to do with this:

But the government's case -- built largely on FBI wiretaps of phone conversations -- offered scant evidence of any of the defendants' direct involvement in any jihad theaters.

When did those wiretaps occur? Well,

Padilla's voice was heard on only seven intercepts, a tiny fraction of the 300,000 collected by the FBI during the nearly decade-long investigation.

Maybe some folks were concerned that too much light could divert attention away from the Gonzo secret prison terrorist surveillance lynch mob. After all, John Ashcroft is the new truth-to-power cause celebre these days, wherever he may be hiding.

Or maybe they just feared another facial egg wash similar to the Mike Hawash affair, or just waiting for a guilty verdict to kick into high gear. Hard to say.