McCain Gets it Wrong (again)

As reported yesterday on Daring Fireball:

Republicans vs. the Bill of Rights. John McCain:

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.

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.):

“Did they Mirandize him? I know he’s an American citizen but still,” King said.

Don’t forget “independent” Joe Lieberman.

Gruber linked this piece at the Washington Monthly.

What makes this maddening is that McCain and King seem to be saying that the police should have arrested this guy and held him until such time as his citizenship could be determined (which, in the case of a foreign national or a terrorist) might take some time. But this guy was an American citizen, albeit a new one. And citizens of the United State have rights.

I think that the standard should be this: if someone is arrested on United States soil, they should be treated as a citizen and assumed to be so until they are proven to be otherwise. Now that requires asking the citizenship question that liberals and illegal immigration advocates are so opposed to. But if applied uniformly to everyone, it is fair to both citizens and illegals.

Oh, and McCain and King should be drummed out of office for advocating that a citizen's basic rights not be respected. This kind of crap is the very reason that conservatives are so fed up with Congress and especially with so-called Republicans who purport to be representing us. True conservatives are about liberty and freedom and justice. This issue illustrates all three and what we've been saying for years - McCain is wrong on all them important issues.