Rich Lowry has posted an op-ed at the New York Post today about the Obama Administration’s treatment of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Christmas Day underwear bomber.  Mr. Lowry viewed Umar Abdulmutallab as a sort of message in a bottle to our national security team trying to deal with the ever-present threat of terrorism.

The article points out:

“But the Obama administration shut him down. It didn’t go so far as to tell the Customs and Border Protection officers to cover their ears and try not to listen when Abdulmutallab made incriminating statements on the initial ride to the hospital, but it came close. It had an FBI team inform Abdulmutallab of his right to remain silent, after which he predictably remained silent.”

Unfortunately this decision may come back to haunt us.  The article points out the steps that should have been taken to get information on ongoing terrorist plots against our country, but were not taken.  It also points out that if the Obama Administration had been adamant about trying Mr. Abdulmutallab in a civilian court, they still could have done it after getting information from him on the terrorists camps and activities in Yemen. 

This is my favorite quote from the article:

“It’s not as if the civilian case against him would have been jeopardized. When you are caught with a bomb in your pants, with dozens of witnesses to your crime, you are going to jail for a very long time (unless, perhaps, a hapless administration has to strike a plea deal to try to get you talking again).”

Hopefully the information Mr. Abdulmutallab had in his head can be learned from other sources.  I am sure there is much there that would have been helpful to our intelligence agencies.