Don’t Act Surprised

Do you have your script, Senator? No? Well, heck, just use the old one:

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…

“Obviously that would be a serious mistake… at least until we find out as much information we have,” McCain said during an appearance on “Imus in the Morning” when asked whether the suspect, 30-year-old Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized American citizen from Pakistan.

“Don’t give this guy his Miranda rights until we find out what it’s all about,” McCain added.

Thank you, Senator. How about another take without specifics? That way we don’t have to call you in the next time.

McCain: ‘Serious mistake’ if car bombing suspect was Mirandized [The Hill]

RNC Chairman Michael Steele, stating the obvious:

Q:  Why should an African-American vote Republican?

“You really don’t have a reason to, to be honest — we haven’t done a very good job of really giving you one. True? True.”

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Welcome to Idaho: “The census worker alleges he was trying to deliver [Richard] Powell the population-counting questionnaire on the afternoon of March 3, when Powell told the worker to get off his property… Powell then went into his residence and returned with a shotgun, and fired the gun in the air.” [ThinkProgress]

Jeezus, this is getting tiresome:

An East Texas man who federal prosecutors allege left explosive devices including pipe bombs in multiple area mail boxes, was motivated in part by anger at the government, Brit Featherston, first assistant U. S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas tells TPMmuckraker in a phone interview.

“It does appear that there were two motives: one, that he was disenchanted with the federal government, and, two, he was disenchanted with an individual who he perceived that had wronged him,” says Featherston of 52-year-old Larry North, who was arrested today.

Three dozen bombs in almost two dozen places. And why do the perps all have to look like Big Lebowski?

Prosecutor: East TX Man Distributed Pipe Bombs Because Of Anger At Government [TPM]

Suspect Linked To 36 Explosive Devices [Tyler Morning Telegraph]

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell revives Confederate History Month. Virginia seceded on April 17, 1861.

WHEREAS, April is the month in which the people of Virginia joined the Confederate States of America in a four year war between the states for independence that concluded at Appomattox Courthouse; and

WHEREAS, Virginia has long recognized her Confederate history, the numerous civil war battlefields that mark every region of the state, the leaders and individuals in the Army, Navy and at home who fought for their homes and communities and Commonwealth in a time very different than ours today; and

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Step One:

[Utah] House Majority Leader Kevin Garn admitted as the Legislature adjourned Thursday night to a nude hot-tubbing incident with a teenage girl 25 years ago.

Step Two:

The Layton Republican said he entered into a confidentiality agreement with the woman in 2002 and paid her $150,000.

Step Three:

“She agreed to keep this 25-year-old incident confidential. Now that this issue is coming up again, it is apparent to me that this payment was also a mistake.”

We have a winner!

House Majority Leader Kevin Garn admits to incident with girl in past [Deseret News, via Political Wire]

We could wrap up Afterparty Monday with a clip from Inglourious Basterds, but that would be too easy:

Lord Baden Powell, the founder of the Scout movement, was invited to meet Hitler after having tea with senior Nazis, files released by MI5 show.

Intercepted letters show that the Germans were seeking to expand the influence of the Nazi Youth movement in Britain in the late 1930s.

Baden Powell met the German Ambassador, Joachim von Ribbentrop, who went on to become Hitler’s Foreign Minister, in London in November 1937.

While most of those who came into contact with Ribbentrop found him extremely difficult to deal with, Baden Powell reported that he “seemed very much in earnest and was a charming man to talk to.”

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