Well, I don’t imagine the right is going to care for this at all.

Republican presidential contender Fred Thompson said Monday that while Osama bin Laden needs to be caught and killed, the terrorist mastermind would get the due process of law.

Last week, when bin Laden’s latest tape emerged, Thompson said the terrorist responsible for 9/11 is “more symbolism than anything else.” When that drew some criticism, Thompson adopted a tougher line, saying bin Laden “ought to be caught and killed.”

Today, the actor/lobbyist/politicians sought to clarify, saying he wasn’t suggesting that bin Laden’s death would happen immediately after his capture.

“No, no, no, we’ve got due process to go through” depending on the circumstances, he said. “I’m not suggesting those things happen simultaneously.”

As it turns out, Thompson isn’t the first presidential hopeful to argue publicly that bin Laden deserves due process of law. The first was Howard Dean, four years ago. Of course, when he said that, the right went apoplectic. Will conservatives be equally quick to condemn Thompson? I'm not holding my breath.