Bill Kristol Claims That Republicans Haven't Politicized National Security.

Bill Kristol wants us to know that he is outraged- outraged - by the suggestion that the Republicans are playing politics with the subject of national security.

They Republicans have actually been playing that card - that the Democrats can't be trusted to keep the country safe - for as long as I can remember.

JOHN BRENNAN: On Christmas night, I called a number of-- senior members of Congress. I spoke to Senators McConnell and Bond. I spoke to Representative Boehner and Hoekstra . I explained to them that he was in F.B.I. custody. That Mr. Abdulmutallab was in fact talking. That he was cooperating at that point. They knew that in F.B.I. custody means that there's a process then you follow as far as mirandizing and presenting him in front of the magistrate.

None of those individuals raised any concerns with me, at that point. They didn't say, "Is he going into military custody? Is he going to be mirandized?" They were very appreciative of the information. We told them we'd keep them informed. And that's what we did. So, there's been-- quite a bit of an outcry after the fact. Where again, I'm just very concerned on behalf of the counterterrorism professionals throughout our government that politicians continue to make this a political football. And are using it for whatever political or partisan purposes.

The Republicans are effecting outrage for Obama treating the "Underwear Bomber" exactly the same as Bush treated the "Shoe Bomber" and, as Brennan points out, they did not have any complaint at the time of his arrest.

This is simply playing politics with national security and what's annoying Kristol is that, at last, they are being called on it.

UPDATE:



Here Rachel Maddow takes on Aaron Schock and wonders why reading someone their Miranda rights has only become an issue since Obama was elected.

MADDOW: What’s the basis of the assertion that reading someone their Miranda rights in unsafe? We did that with every single person who’s been arrested on terrorism charges since 9/11. No one’s ever made an issue of it until the Obama administration and this case with Abdulmuttalab. Really, what’s the problem with being read your rights that wasn’t the problem before?

SCHOCK: Well, first of all, you suggested earlier that reading someone his Miranda rights does not — has never indicated that they talk less to our intelligence folks...

MADDOW: We’ve never heard that from the FBI.

SCHOCK: The fact of the matter is we do know that after the Christmas Day bomber was read his Miranda he did in fact stop cooperating with our intelligence...

MADDOW: That’s not true, actually, it’s not what we know from the people who’ve been involved in this. The “factual” basis of this is so thin!

If Maddow is right, and "every single person who’s been arrested on terrorism charges since 9/11" have been read their Miranda rights, then the Republican reaction to Abdulmuttalab being read his Miranda rights is clearly an example of the Republicans playing politics with national security.

Tags: Bill Kristol, Fox News, National Security