Another GOP Talking Point Bites The Dust

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022410.php

ANOTHER GOP TALKING POINT BITES THE DUST.... As part of the GOP effort to attack the administration's handling of the Abdulmutallab case, the president's detractors have gone through a variety of arguments. One of their favorites is the notion that federal officials read the attempted terrorist his rights after just 50 minutes of interrogation, and then the suspect stopped talking.

We've known for quite a while that the latter half of the claim is wrong -- Abdulmutallab didn't stop talking at all. We're also learning that the first half of the claim is wrong, too.

snip//

Where does the "50-minute" claim come from? Apparently, officials began to question Abdulmutallab soon after he was taken into custody, but physicians said his condition had deteriorated and that the interrogation would have to be delayed. Five hours later, the questioning began again. Eventually, Abdulmutallab refused to cooperate -- he had been trained not to answer questions -- and at that point, officials made him aware of his Miranda rights.

Why on earth would conservative Republicans find this objectionable? Will every GOP voice who got this wrong now apologize?

Also keep in mind, when the Bush/Cheney administration took shoe bomber Richard Reid into custody, he was read his rights five minutes after being taken off the plane he tried to blow up. Funny, I don't recall Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, or any of the usual GOP suspects whining incessantly at the time. I wonder why that is.

It's been nearly seven weeks since the failed Christmas-day plot, and Republicans have made a wide variety of criticisms. I've been keeping a pretty close eye on developments, and at this point, I honestly can't think of a single claim that has stood up to scrutiny. Some of the arguments have proven to be blatant lies, while others are the result of confusion and ignorance, but literally nothing has panned out for the GOP -- on what's supposed to be their signature issue.

MSNBC reported last week, "{A}t what point do you start losing the P.R. war when the facts aren't on your side?" Good question.

Spencer Ackerman added, "The GOP, for the first time in decades, is completely discredited on national security." We should be so lucky.

—Steve Benen

[Kber]

1. "{A}t what point do you start losing the P.R. war when the facts aren't on your side?" Good question

Answer - then the MSM starts to do it's friggen job - that's when.

[LynnTheDem]

2. Funny how the GOP wasn't "discreditied on national security" after they failed to prevent 911.

Very interesting, ain't it.

[ThomThom]

3. or started two foolish wars

and on the economy their failed tax cuts as job creators and deregulation as a good thing
The media will never discredit them no matter how foolish or wrong they have been unless dems inject it at every opportunity. Like Rachael did on Meet the Press Sunday.

[zulchzulu]

4. "I know you just about blew your balls off, but can you answer some questions...."

Imagine questioning someone who literally had a bomb go off in his boxer shorts and expecting anything more than moaning and screaming...

As for miranda rights, if the accused person confesses a crime to the investigators, the prosecution must prove that the defendant was informed of their miranda rights and knowingly waived those rights, before the confession can be brought as evidence in the trial.

If a defendent is going to be asked questions and is interrogated outside the presence of a lawyer without giving the warning, any confessions given cannot be introduced in court as evidence.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH REPUBLICANS (some who were prosecutors) UNDERSTANDING THIS?

Do they really want military tribunals, where one case had someone serve 9 months and two other cases were dismissed?

One of the dismissed cases involved Omar Ahmed Khadr, who was captured at age 15 in Afghanistan after having allegedly killed a U.S. soldier with a grenade. The other dismissed case involved Salim Ahmed Hamdan who is alleged to have been Osama bin Laden's driver and is the lead plaintiff in a key series of cases challenging the military commission system. The system is in limbo until the jurisdictional issues addressed in the early cases are resolved.

http://www.answers.com/topic/military-commission

As mentioned in the media, over 300 prosecutions came because "acts of terror" were taken to criminal courts where Miranda Rights were read to the accused.

Do the Republicans want cases to be dismissed, as the military tribunals have made happen?

[Cha]

5. The gopers should be Blasted for their LIES on National Security

at every opportunity!

[Zoeisright]

6. At what point do you start losing the P.R. war when the facts aren't on your side?

Um, repukes lie constantly and have NO facts on their side and they win the P.R. war most of the time AND will pick up lots of Congressional seats this fall.

Lying, cheating, and stealing is a winning strategy for them, and many Americans are too stupid to get it.

[SunsetDreams]

7. K&R