General Principles

So the GOP attacks on the horrible, horrible fascism of reading the Times square car bomb suspect his Miranda rights is already well under way.  Luckily, at least one veteran in the Warren Terrah thinks John McCain and Pete King need to zip it.  Greg Sargent:

I just got off the phone with retired General Paul Eaton, who is best known for training Iraqi troops during the Bush years, and he offered scathing criticism of John McCain and Pete King for demanding that the Obama administration refrain from Mirandizing the Times Square bomb suspect.

General Eaton bluntly said McCain and King are potentially putting American lives at risk.

Eaton, a political independent who says he’s voted for both Republicans and Democrats, ripped McCain and King’s comments as “wholly inappropriate,” adding that not Mirandizing the suspect risks making it tougher to win a prosecution of him in court.

“I don’t understand how a Senator or a Congressman can challenge the Mirandizing procedure,” Eaton, who is also a senior adviser at the Dem-leaning National Security Network, told me. “The laws are clear. Rep. King and Senator McCain have advocated a position that could cost us this case.”

Eaton added that there’s no way the suspect will ever be tried in a military tribunal, and said that his trial was certain to take place in the civilian court system.

Civilian case, civilian court procedures.  That means Mirandizing him and following the law.  As usual, the GOP is just playing politics with empty tropes while the FBI nailed this guy (again, a civilian law enforcement agency, the FBI) in less than 48 hours.  This guy's going to a New York courtroom and he's going to face charges in a court of law.

This whole "trials make us less safe" bull is just used by people who don't want justice, but vengeance instead.  The GOP is attacking on this, why?  Oh yes, to distract the people from the Republican party's dismal record on preventing terror in the US.

For frack's sakes, even Glenn Beck says this guy gets his Miranda rights.

It was a packed curvy couch on Fox & Friends this morning, as Glenn Beck and Judge Andrew Napolitano joined the trio of co-hosts for a discussion on Miranda rights for the Times Square bomber.

The Judge naturally went the hardline judicial route, arguing he deserves to be Mirandized because he’s an American citizen, and Beck…agreed 100%.


The Right Scoop caught the exchange this morning, which featured a determined Beck squaring off against Brian Kilmeade, who wanted to make an exception. “He’s a citizen of the United States, so I say we uphold the laws and the Constitution on citizens,” said Beck.

“He’s a threat to the country, that’s different,” countered Kilmeade.

“If you’re a citizen you obey the law and follow the Constitution,” said Beck. “He has all the rights under the Constitution.”

Later, the money quote from Beck: “We don’t shred the Constitution when it’s popular. We do the right thing.”

Ladies and gentlemen, when even Glenn Beck can point out why this guy gets the right to remain silent, you've lost the battle.  Put this clown in front of a jury and lay out the evidence.  We're either a nation of laws, or not.