ACLU slams Senators: The Constitution is not ‘optional’

Four U.S. Senators are pursuing legislation they believe would fix the "mistake" President Obama made with the man who allegedly failed to blow up a Christmas Day flight into Detroit.

That "mistake" was treating him like a serious criminal, tossing him in jail and planning a trial.

Nevertheless, Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Robert Bennett (R-UT) and John Ensign (R-NV) are pushing legislation that would require civilian authorities to consult with intelligence leaders when taking an accused terrorist into custody.

"[This] legislation would not deprive the President of any investigative tool," Sen. Lieberman's Web site claims. "It would not preclude a decision to charge a foreign terrorist in our military tribunal system or in our civilian criminal justice system."

In a response, Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, fired back: "It is extremely disturbing that members of the U.S. Congress are essentially calling for Obama administration officials to discard the Constitution when a terrorist suspect is apprehended – as if the Constitution should be applied on a case by case basis."

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