Republicans didn't much care, when the Times Square suspect was a white male, but once he fit a certain profile, they were enraged and outraged, and reflexively relapsed to every imaginable manner of shrill.

But the system worked.

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor bloviated about the Obama Administration being complacent amid warning signs about terrorism. This, after another failed attempt at an attack. This from a guy whose own party's most recent administration was so incomprehensibly incompetent as to allow the worst ever terrorist attack on American soil. And even that wasn't enough, for his Heritage Foundation audience. They actually grumbled when he somehow managed to admit that the president isn't a domestic enemy. Apparently, to Cantor and his fans, nothing is more dangerous than success.

Because the system worked.

John McCain and Peter King want to toss the suspect's Constitutional rights. So do John Cornyn and John Kyl. Which would be not only immoral, unethical, unconstitutional, and stupid, it also would be dangerous. Joe Lieberman takes it even a step farther, and says we should revoke the suspect's citizenship, thus revoking his Constitutional rights.

But the system worked.

No one was tortured. No one's civil rights were violated. No one's privacy was violated. And the suspect is cooperating. Federal, state, and local authorities did their jobs and are doing their jobs. The public was alert, but didn't panic. The public was responsible, and not terrified. There was a minor glitch or two, but even so, no one was killed, no one was hurt, and it took less than three days for the suspect to be captured. Less than three days. And no one got hurt.

The system worked.

The old fashioned way. The way it might have worked, before 9/11, had we had a sane and competent administration, then. But it worked this time. The way it's supposed to. The innocent were protected, the good people prevailed, and the bad guy was taken into custody. Without a shot being fired.

The system worked.

This is called good news. Very good news. This should be celebrated. But the Republicans aren't celebrating. They're freaking out. They don't even recognize success when they see it. They don't want to see success, under a Democratic president. Call it what you will.

The system worked.

And the Republicans are terrified.