NRCC Uses Napolitano Blunder On Flight 253 To Hammer House Dems

The Republicans were in power when we were hit on 911. This doesn't come close. Sorry but, no one was killed and several investigations have begun. One thing is clear. Whatever procedures that were put in place by the Bush administration either were not followed on Friday or they were not good enough. Which of these will be determined in the days and months to come. The Republicans should stop pretending that this was the worst attack on our soil and remember that they were the one's in power when that happened.

The people in charge who did not pass on the information from this guy's father about this nutjob balls bomber are obviously to blame as well and the president spoke about it this afternoon. I'm not excusing them. But, unless Obama came into office and put in the procedures that led to this incident, then it's clear that it was policies instituted after 911.

As a former military intelligence officer and civilian police officer, I must ask: does this pathetic, haphazard attempt to 'take-down' a civilian airliner, conducted by a non-state actor who is not a member of an organized, armed force roughly analogous to such groups as the Irish Republican Army REALLY that of a disciplined, well trained 'terrorist' or, just those of a criminal with a poorly crafted political agenda?

It's long past time that we stop elevating such culprits to near-legendary status, as if they were somehow what they clearly are not. Might there be a tenuous connection to Al Qaeda, in particular, to its leadership? Possibly, though likely not. Is this a confused, bumbling criminal looking for glory and immortality amongst the ranks of Muslim 'freedom fighters? Only in his own mind, and that of a small number of sympathizers.

We cannot know in advance of every attempt by some hapless individual to act in this manner, nor can we guarantee that no one will take an aerial platform out of the air with explosives other than by grounding all aircraft. On balance, while improvements are always possible—and, mistakes may well have been made in this specific instance—it is patently ridiculous to tie incidents like this or earlier actions such as those of 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid to the coordinated, relatively sophisticated attacks like the ones which occurred on September 11, 2001. Okay: maybe not so sophisticated - but, coordinated, simple and effective, as least as measured by the apparent cost of planning and execution, and the resulting damage.

Just more political posturing by the same sort of folks who were in charge and 'asleep at the switch' when the September 11, 2001 attacks took place.

Had Bush responded to Tenet's memo warning of an imminent Al Qaeda attack in the U.S. in August, 2001 as quickly as the right wingers did today to Napolitan's comments maybe 3,00 New Yorkers would be alive today.

Quote: "We are reactive and it takes the president 72 hours to react to that by alleging that it took place."

Oh stop. It took the boob six days to respond publicly to the shoe bomber.

Is there really anybody sitting around and waiting to hear what the President says about a failed attempt other than pundits and partisans?

Not to mention, we're providing the wherewithal for Yemen to bomb Al Qaeda sites.

Now, there may well be more that needs to be done. But the notion that Obama is sitting around and saying "Pass the grey poupon" is just ridiculous.

Cool minds will prevail.
Pres. Obama was planning to return a group of terrorist from Gitmo back home, to guess where?
I guess he did not get the results he was counting on from the pantie bomber and need to sent some more ENEMY COMBATENTS, Oh excuse me this term as been removed from America let just call them Man Made-ers.

I've not heard anyone call for Napolitano's resignation yet (they likely have)but my guess is it's coming.

As soon as I saw the statement on Sunday I knew she was in trouble. As impressive as her Red state numbers may have been I must say I've found her rather underwhelming and without a feel for the game as it were. I understand what she was saying, it just wasn't appropriate for the aftermath on a busy holiday week.

So with that in mind I hope Nap' learns from this. If not I'm afraid she'll be putting her boss in some more untidy situations. Some people will likely be fired or transferred because of this near miss. If Obama plays this correctly --even from Hawaii-- he can recover and obviate what is likely to be a fiasco in the RW and mainsteam press.

$$$ Has anyone seen the money shot yet? That of the suspect at the gate trying to board (apparently without a passport?). You would have thought that would have turned up, from Amsterdam?

The DCCC is where I Would look if you have an interest in Obama. This obstruction is going nowhere. Obama can keep up the great work and many voters ahead for him. Obama now, Obama in the past, Obama extreme to the maximum.

Quote: "I only wish the American people could see that, sadly, they cannot."

I don't know if that's true. I wouldn't confuse what's blaring out of the rightwing echo chamber with what most Americans think.

Oh nice.

"(Napolitano was speaking of the response to the attack after the fact, but her detractors are understandably more focused on the intelligence failures before the event.)"

She was clearly and unambiguously speaking of how they got information out and etc after the attack happened, and yet the Republicans are "understandably" pretending that her "the system worked" statement was about letting the attack happen in the first place.

Because taking things ridiculously out of context and pretending that they mean something that they don't is such an "understandable" scam, why, we all do it.

People can believe that she was tone-deaf, they can say all kinds of things, but this talking point is now unstoppable, and is based on a lie.

Sigh.

So when Tom Ridge said the same thing about Richard Reid, when he in fact praised the actions of other passengers as part of how the system is supposed to work, this was "much-derided" also, right? Everyone picked up "the system worked" as a punch line and screamed about it then too, right? Left, right, and center, all latched onto it, right?

When anyone tries to tell me that the DC Beltway media establishment is anything but a right wing echo chamber, I just laugh, these days.

IOKIYAR.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/12/bush-administration-claimed-success-when-public-stopped-shoebomber.html