The political football

There has been a conservative uproar over the Obama administration's decision to not only Mirandize the Christmas Day bomber, but try him as a normal criminal in the federal court system.

Of course, this invites the easiest retort by Democrats -- Richard Reid, the "shoe bomber," was similarly Mirandized by the Bush administration, tried and convicted in federal court. Like the Christmas Day bomber, Reid was not an American citizen. Since his conviction, Reid now sits, rotting in a federal Supermax prison somewhere in Colorado.

I don't recall such uproar by Kristol, Gingrich, et al. when at the sentencing hearing, Judge William Young gave Reid a dressing-down of epic proportions in January 2003.

Are the goalposts moving? For years, it was Democrats playing politics with the Iraq War, the highlight (or lowlight) of which was Harry Reid pronouncing the war "lost" while on the floor of the Senate. Now, with the GOP in the wilderness, the shoe is on the other foot.

Let's be clear. The Obama administration is wrong about many things, but to say it is soft on terror is patently stupid. Don't believe me? Check out Glenn Greenwald here, here, here and for the love of all things holy, HERE.

I understand that any issue can be turned into a political football, but it's irresponsible and childish to take an inventory of the first 14 months of the Obama presidency and come to the conclusion to which most conservatives have apparently arrived. If you're of the opinion that the president is soft on terror, you need to pay closer attention and/or turn off Rush Limbaugh over your lunch hour.