Before Faisal Shahzad pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in New York, a U.S. marshal removed his handcuffs.

When Faisal Shahzad pleaded guilty to attempting to kill whoever happened to be near his car bomb in New York's Times Square, he did more than clear the case from a judicial docket. He vindicated the civilian approach to prosecuting the American war on terror.

Under President Barack Obama, domestic anti-terror responsibilities are correctly being shifted to law enforcement, leaving the military to focus on the incredibly difficult tasks of finishing up in Iraq, figuring out Afghanistan and planning for whatever might come next.

This is a step that will better protect American citizens from the threat of international terrorism. Policing terror suspects, following leads on small cells or individuals and tracking down those people or groups is a law enforcement task, not a military one.

The value of handling these extremely important cases in civilian courts has become very clear this year.

The Shahzad case, for instance, has moved toward conclusion not only rapidly but with positive results. In addition to being captured and put on trial (using solid police work), Shahzad has talked. A lot. He has helpfully provided investigators with both an insight into how terror organizations are operating in the United States and actionable information on the networks backing them overseas.

And Shahzad's case isn't unique. So-called underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, whose bomb fizzled Christmas Day aboard a flight to Detroit, was providing "useful, actionable" information to the federal investigators soon after his arrest.

Together they make a compelling argument. Terrorists go about their business much the same way as many criminals. They work in the shadows, support themselves with money from drug sales, engage in the movement of illegal weapons and sneak across borders. Uncovering such acts, now and always, has been the specialty of law enforcement. Domestic terror cases are effectively dealt with in civilian courts.