Radical Muslims Aren't Evil, Rep. Peter King Is Evil !

That's the impression you'd get from reading the scare-quote headline and story in today's New York Daily News (vying for the NYT for audience these days, having giving up on catching up with Murdoch's Post, while losing readers to Murdoch's new "New York-centric" WSJ), a piece that has been picked up fairly far and wide, along with the picture the paper willingly provided (likely the worst one they could find):

Rep. Peter King to hold hearings on 'radicalization' of American Muslims, critics fear witchhunt

Rep. Peter King said Sunday he'll hold hearings on the "radicalization of the American Muslim community" - but some critics fear an anti-Islamic witchhunt.

King (R-L.I.) said a Congressional probe is needed because Al Qaeda has increasingly targeted Muslims living legally in the United States as potential terror recruits.

Despite the threat to their own community, King said, some Islamic clerics resist cooperating with investigators.

"We want to assess the extent of the radicalization of the Muslim community," he said. "It's clear to me there has not been sufficient cooperation."

King is right, of course, and one needs to look no further than today's headlines from Great Britain - 12 men arrested over suspected UK terrorism plot - to see that Rep. King is trying to head off a similar problem here in the States. Which, apparently, is evil, because...CAIR says so. With no backup or follow-up, the News prints their claims:

"We're concerned that it'll become a new McCarthy-type hearing," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Hooper speaks to irrational fears, King speaks to rational ones:

King says he once had a close relationship with the Long Island Muslim community and was a regular visitor at a local mosque - but that changed.

"The overwhelming majority of Muslims are outstanding citizens," King said.

Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, King was disappointed that some Muslims refused to accept Al Qaeda was responsible.

Even when terrorists started trying to recruit Americans, Islamic clerics instructed their flocks to keep quiet, King said.

"It's extensive throughout the country," he said. "This will be an investigation into the issue."

Go for it, Mr. King. And be prepared for the calls for your racist, evil head just for the attempt to avert a radicalization of our homegrown Muslim population, one that will lead to terror without end, as the Left handcuffs our authorities with bogus cries of civil liberties infractions and "witch hunts"...

The scare quotes and propaganda pics in the News are only the beginning, Mr. King, so stay strong...the closer you get to the truth, the more folks will fight you with every weapon in their arsenal to stop it from coming out...


UPDATE: And the first useful idiot is...Mayor Bloomberg! A "Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent..."