Somehow I thought that Tom Ridge, with his image as a reasonable Republican, would understand that "no one is above the law" means nothing if there are people below the law. Unfortunately, that was a bit too much to expect. Last night on "Larry King Live," Ridge said that the suspect in the Northwest Flight 253 attack doesn't deserve the full rights of those accused of crime.
"I take a look at this individual who has been charged criminally, does that mean he gets his Miranda warnings? The only information we get is if he volunteers it?" Ridge said. "He's not a citizen of this country. He's a terrorist, and I don't think he deserves the full range of protections of our criminal justice system embodied in the Constitution of the United States."
Let's make one thing clear. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab deserves to be locked up, and the key tossed away. But to deny him basic protections just because he isn't a citizen? News flash, Tom. You don't have those rights because you're an American. You have those rights because the rule of law is a basic concept of a democracy.
The real mind-blower is that King didn't bother to probe further, at least not according to the transcript. And it doesn't look like Harry Smith called him on it when he appeared on this morning's "Early Show."
But then again, when you consider that there are actually some on the right calling for Arab-Americans to be thrown into World War II-style internment camps, it's not entirely surprising that even a "reasonable" Repub like Ridge would suggest that terrorists don't have rights.