Republicans Rush To Politicize Failed Times Square Attack

Last night, federal authorities made an arrest in connection with Saturday's failed car bombing in Times Square.  Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan, was apprehended at Kennedy Airport attempting to board a flight to Dubai. 

While details are still emerging, Republican lawmakers are already politicizing the arrest.  Rep. Peter King (R-NY), a strident critic of the Obama administration's counterterrorism policies, is demanding to know whether Shahzad was read his rights.  "Did they Mirandize him?" King asked. "I know he's an American citizen but still."

Similarly, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said it would be a "serious mistake" if Shahzad was given Miranda warnings:

It would have been a serious mistake to have read the suspect in the attempted Times Square car bombing his Miranda rights, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Tuesday.

McCain, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a longtime leading Republican on national security issues, said he expected the suspect in the case could face charges that might warrant a death sentence if convicted.

"Obviously that would be a serious mistake...at least until we find out as much information we have," McCain said during an appearance on "Imus in the Morning." [...]

"Don't give this guy his miranda rights until we find out what it's all about," McCain added.

It's remarkable that, just hours after a major law enforcement success, Republicans are rushing to have the same argument they lost a few months ago. 

To review, after the failed attack on Christmas Day, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was informed of his rights.  The conservative establishment freaked out, arguing that longstanding policies should be abandoned.  One Republican leader derisively compared FBI interrogators to a cable talk show host.  Meanwhile, Abdulmutallab cooperated with the investigation and made the conservative rhetoric look silly. 

As Steve Benen comments, "this Miranda-related demagoguery is growing stale":

Najibullah Zazi was Mirandized, and the entire case went beautifully. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was Mirandized, and the results have been excellent. When shoe bomber Richard Reid was taken into custody, the Bush/Cheney administration read him his rights five minutes after he was taken off the plane he tried to blow up, and McCain never said a word. It's been standard practice, especially with American citizens upon their arrest, for years -- spanning administrations of both parties.

Earlier today on Fox News, even Glenn Beck argued that Shahzad should be given Miranda rights because he's an American. "He's a citizen of the United States.  So I say we uphold the laws of the Constitution on citizens," Beck said, adding, "We don't shred the Constitution."

Update: Appearing on Fox News, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) suggested amending the law to deprive "American citizens who choose to become affiliated with foreign terrorist organizations" of their rights.  ThinkProgress has more.