Yes, now that the Republicans and their assorted right-wing soul mates have been reassured that the main suspect in the Times Square bombing attempt isn't a teabagger, they are (of course) back beating the drums of panic:
Yesterday, when the primary suspect in the attempted bombing of Times Square was a middle aged white guy, Republican leaders were the picture of calm, sober leadership. High ranking Republicans on committees related to national security like Pete Hoekstra and Peter King urged people not to jump to conclusions, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised New Yorkers for not succumbing to fear. Likewise, hawkish Senator Joe Lieberman, who has tended to side with Republicans on national security issues, issued a statement yesterday saying, “More than anything, terrorists want to instill terror. They want to create a wide and broad sense of fear among ordinary people. The resilience shown by New Yorkers robs terrorists of that power."
That was yesterday. Today, as in the aftermath of the failed underwear bombing on Christmas Day, Republicans are eager to give that power back. With the Justice Department announcing the arrest of Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-born American citizen and Connecticut resident in connection with the failed plot, Republicans have returned to their usual script. Contrasting McConnell's careful statement from yesterday, Rep. Eric Cantor complained that Americans really don't live in the kind of perpetual panic that the threat of terrorism necessitates:
Cantor complained that the public "goes on heightened alert" after such incidents for "hours and days rather than permanently" and thatObama aides "tend to give these warnings due attention only in limited spurts."
Senator John McCain, appearing on the Imus show, warned the administration against reading Shahzad, an American citizen, his Miranda rights:
"Obviously that would be a serious mistake until all the information is gathered," McCain said during an appearance on "Imus in the Morning" when asked whether the suspect, 30-year-old Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized American citizen from Pakistan [should be read his rights.]
Not content to be merely opposed to due process for foreigners accused of terrorism, McCain wants to deny American citizens their rights to due process as well. Indeed, McCain and Lieberman recently introduced a bill that would allow the government to hold U.S. citizens indefinitely without charge. Needless to say, things like Mirandization were non-issues for McCain during the Bush administration, when more than 403 convictions were secured through the civilian justice system.
In the meantime, MSNBC reports that the suspect "told neighbors he worked on Wall Street." In which case, I can understand the panic! After all, Wall Street bankers have destroyed more of this country than any bomb.
