"Kyl: Intelligence Lost by Abdulmutallab Indictment" - Another 2010 Election Theme?

[TomCADem]

The Republicans continue to politicize the attempted terrorist attack by criticizing how President Obama has indicted Abdulmutallab, rather than shipped him off to some secret location to be water boarded. As the Republicans gain momentum as the 2010 elections approach, one of the key electoral mandates from Republican victories will be that civil liberties suck, except for the right to carry a gun.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/01/10/kyl-intelligence-lost-abdulmutallab-indictment/

Kyl: Intelligence Lost by Abdulmutallab Indictment

The federal government missed a real opportunity to get intelligence from Christmas Day accused bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab because authorities indicted him while he was still talking, a Republican lawmaker said Sunday.

Abdulmutallab was in FBI custody for about 30 hours before he claimed a lawyer and clammed up.

"When you indict him, you immediately read him his Miranda rights, you give him a lawyer and he stops talking," Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said Sunday. "You can pursue a court action against this person later on if you want to, but right now the key thing is intelligence."

Kyl joined 21 Republicans in sending a letter to President Obama on Friday night urging him to try the alleged underwear bomber in front of a military tribunal instead of a civilian court.

But Democrats say intelligence officials got what they needed from Abdulmutallab, who failed in his attempt to detonate an explosive during a Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.

[blondeatlast]

1. Why does (God help me) my junior senator hate The Constitution? Oh, yeah--politcal gamesmanship! nt

[PDJane]

2. it's not so much that they hate the constitution,

As they've been led to believe that torture works. Pardon me, "harsh interrogation."

[eleny]

3. How the hell does Kyl know what thney got or didn't get?

I heard the guy cooperated at first. Do you think our people would have wasted precious time? I don't.

But I don't think a twinky like Abdulmutallab would have been trusted with sensitive information.

[Beaverhausen]

6. My thoughts exactly

[JDPriestly]

9. What kind of defense do the Republicans think this guy will have?

He isn't OJ, you know. He is not anybody's hero.

His lawyer will probably give him a pretty good idea about what his choices are. He has no chance before a jury.

There will be some bargaining. And before long this man will cooperate. The evidence against him is overwhelming. There were witnesses. The most damning evidence is his own injured body.

What idiots these Republican commentators are.

[Canuckistanian]

4. The Shoebomber got a lawyer, didn't he?

I don't remember Kyl complaining that Richard Reid needed a military tribunal.

[Bitwit1234]

5. I bet if we waterboarded all the republicans in congress

we would sure get a lot of useful information about the crisis in this country. What they did, what they are doing to keep it going.

[merh]

7. These idiots don't have a clue.

You read them their Miranda warnings at arrest, they have a lawyer before the evidence is given to the grand jury to consider, the grand jury returns and indictment if they believe there is enough evidence.

And scorched scrotum did given actionable intelligence before he lawyered up and he will give more, without the need for torture, before he enters his plea of guilty. He will have made a deal and tell all he knows.

[JDPriestly]

8. So, did the U.S. lose intelligence or information about the

Abramov conspiracy when he was indicted? That's not how these things work.

How did the U.S. get the evidence on the Mafia godfathers? How do they crush gangs? It's an ever ongoing process, but indictments and "lawyering up" do not mean that the defendant will refuse to cooperate. By no means.

Personally, I expect additional indictments to follow this first one.