How can you support race-based preferences but oppose profiling to prevent terrorist attacks?

At the gym this evening, I caught an NBC News "in depth" feature on the question of whether or not we should be using "profiling" to target security resources. The piece included extensive arguments against using profiling by WaPo deputy editorial page editor Colbert I. King. (The story consists of two segments: an overview and the "in depth" part. These comments are from the second segment.) Mr. King, who is an African-American, said:

I'm supposed to be judged, and you are supposed to be judged, on the basis of who you are and what you've done and what you have failed to do. That is the way our system makes about you, on the basis of your individual actions. . . 

Identifying possible suspects on the basis of national origin, ethnicity and religion; I think that is profiling and I think that's wrong.

[my transcription]

Perhaps it's a cheap shot, and I may be entirely wrong, but why do I suspect that Mr. King would vociferously reject this same argument if it were to be applied to hiring, school admissions, or any other aspect of our social life?

(I don't mean to single out King for this; he has an impressive background and I find the WaPo's editorial board to be a lot less partisan and more responsible then its NYC rival. Furthermore, I don't know whether or not he personally supports race-based affirmative action programs. But there are many liberals who oppose profiling based on age, race and ethnicity, but support its use in hiring and admissions. If Mr. King is not one of them, I apologize.)

Update

In a column on Saturday, King came out swinging against the conservatives who support profiling terror suspects. His criticism? That they are being hypocritical, since conservatives ordinarily oppose government discrimination (or preferences) based on group identity. I'm sorry Mr. King, I would say that you are the hypocrite. You ordinarily do support discrimination based on race, for purposes of affirmative action, but oppose it when it is applied to protect our citizens against death or injury. Conservatives, in ordinary times, oppose using group identities to treat citizens differently, but recognize in a time of war that extraordinary measures may be needed to save people's lives.

The shame should be entirely on you, Mr. King.