Terrorism

Obama Signs Defense Bill With "Serious Reservations"

Kyle Leighton | December 31, 2011, 4:37PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama signed a controversial defense funding bill sent to him by Congress, but did so with "reservations," and in a signing statement gave his administration broad latitude to interpret and apply the bill as he sees fit.

"Moving forward, my administration will interpret and implement the provisions described below in a manner that best preserves the flexibility on which our safety depends and upholds the values on which this country was founded," Obama wrote.

The bill provides funding for the armed services, intelligence services and other components of the federal government devoted to national security. It also adds further financial sanctions on Iran. The President's issue with the bill is not a fight over funding, but with policy issues contained within the legislation, specifically the treatment of terror suspects, and the authority it sought to remove from the executive.

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Muslims

Pew: Americans Say Wars In Iraq, Afghanistan Haven't Made U.S. Safer

Kyle Leighton | September 2, 2011, 6:20AM

The view of Ground Zero from a nearby building

On the eve of the ten year anniversary of 9/11, the Pew Research Center has released new data on Americans' reaction to the attacks, and the foreign and national security policies pursued in the post 9/11 era. They show a country with views that have evolved on the relationship between civil liberties and the tools given to government to fight terrorism, and a disbelief that the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan helped to lessen the chance there will be another terrorist attack on the United States.

The Pew survey showed a large shift in the number of Americans who are willing to see some of their civil liberties go out the window in the name of fighting terrorism. Directly after 9/11, Americans were willing to make the deal, as 55 percent thought it was necessary, against 35 percent who felt the opposite. Now, only 40 percent felt that giving up some civil liberties is necessary to curb terrorism, with 54 percent against.

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Israel

Andrews Stands By Remark That Obama 'Tilting Towards Hamas'

Susan Crabtree | May 25, 2011, 5:23PM

Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ).

Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) is sticking to his statement made Tuesday that President Obama is "tilting towards Hamas" -- and went further on Wednesday complaining that the President's comments last week about the starting point for peace negotiations, and the subsequent uproar, has bolstered the Palestinians' standing.

Andrews said Obama had given Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah party has entered into a unity agreement with their rivals Hamas, an excuse to insist on preconditions before sitting down at the negotiating table with Israel. He was referring to comments Obama made during a major speech last week that the borders of Israel and a future Palestinian state should be based on 1967 lines with agreed upon swaps.

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Sarah Palin

Palin: Obama 'Pussy-Footing' By Not Releasing Photo Of Dead Bin Laden

Brian Beutler | May 4, 2011, 2:47PM

Sarah Palin

Just three days after the world learned President Obama ordered a daring special operations mission resulting in the death of Osama bin Laden, Sarah Palin has come around to claim he's "pussy-footing around" -- specifically by not immediately releasing photos of the deceased al Qaeda leader. To underscore the irony, Palin claims the pictures should be released "as warning to others seeking America's destruction" -- one day after numerous reports had her moving in a more pragmatic direction on foreign policy.

Palin took to Twitter, one of her go-to modes of communications, moments after news broke that Obama would not release the bin Laden photos.

"Show photo as warning to others seeking America's destruction. No pussy-footing around, no politicking, no drama;it's part of the mission," she said.

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'Obama's Wars'

White House Further Revises Narrative On OBL Killing

Susan Crabtree | May 3, 2011, 4:18PM

The White House has further corrected details of the intense, Sunday-night raid on Osama bin Laden's compound and subsequent killing in an attempt to clear up several misstatements from administration officials about what transpired inside the compound walls during the 40-minute covert mission.

President Obama's press secretary Jay Carney Tuesday afternoon read a Pentagon-prepared statement to reporters describing the events that took place inside the compound Sunday night.

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Afghanistan

Levin: Bin Laden's Death Paves Way For Swifter Troop Drawdown In Afghanistan

Brian Beutler | May 2, 2011, 3:31PM

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)

Given that President Obama's not going to bring the war in Afghanistan to an early end as the result of Osama bin Laden's death, a key question is whether his administration will green light a robust troop drawdown starting in July, or whether the withdrawal will happen more slowly, as some in his administration would like.

That's the pivot, and there will be increasing pressure on Obama from Democrats to use bin Laden's death in Pakistan to make the case for a swifter reduction.

TPM SLIDESHOW: Osama Bin Laden: 9/11 Mastermind, Longtime U.S. Enemy Killed In Pakistan

"I think there's going to be a lot of strong feeling on the part of most Democrats and many, I think many independents, and even some Republicans that the decision of the President to reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan should be a robust reduction," Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) told reporters on a conference call with reporters Monday afternoon. "I don't think that's going to change, and I don't expect the decision of the President -- his instinct to have a reduction, and I believe a robust reduction following conversations with him -- that that instinct would be reinforced."

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Osama Bin Laden

Levin: Pakistani Intel and Military Have 'A Lot Of Explaining To Do' For Sheltering Bin Laden

Brian Beutler | May 2, 2011, 12:35PM

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)

The Democrats' top armed services expert on Capitol Hill says Pakistan's military and intelligence have grave questions to answer after Osama Bin Laden was killed in an elaborate compound, deep inside Pakistan, near a top Pakistani military facility.

"I think that the Pakistani army and intelligence have a lot of questions to answer, given the location, the length of time, and the apparent fact that this facility was built for bin Laden, and its closeness to the central location to the Pakistani army," said Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), who chairs the Senate Armed Services committee, in a Capitol briefing with reporters Monday morning.

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Afghanistan

Reid: Obama Has No Plans To Change Afghanistan Strategy In Wake Of Bin Laden Killing

Brian Beutler | May 2, 2011, 12:00PM

Harry Reid (D-NV)

President Obama has communicated to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he plans to stick with the current timetable for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan -- this despite the fact that Osama bin Laden was found and killed in Pakistan, and that Afghan leaders view this as proof that allied actions in their country are misguided.

"The President has a timetable to begin withdrawal of Afghanistan," Reid told reporters in a Capitol briefing Monday morning. "He's indicated he's going to stick with that. I think that's appropriate."

Though lawmakers and administration officials have consistently said that bin Laden's death doesn't indicate an end to hostilities in the Global War on Terror, some experts and advocates have argued that the Obama administration should use Sunday night's development to pivot toward a hastier resolution of hostilities in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Doesn't look like that's in the works, though.

Osama Bin Laden

U.S. Authorities Homed In On Osama For Last Nine Months

Susan Crabtree and Ryan J. Reilly | May 2, 2011, 12:02AM

Osama bin Laden

It was the best kept and most closely guarded secret for the last nine months: a select handful of U.S. national security and administration officials tracked a high-value courier for Osama bin Laden to a dusty dirt road leading to a compound 35 miles north of Islamabad, Pakistan's capital.

After months of intelligence gathering and meetings at the highest levels of the U.S. government, a small team of Navy Seals Sunday raided the compound, engaged in a firefight and ultimately killed bin Laden, the notorious leader of al Qaeda who had evaded capture and death since masterminding the 9/11 attacks that killed almost 3,000 people.

TPM SLIDESHOW: Osama Bin Laden: 9/11 Mastermind, Longtime U.S. Enemy Killed In Pakistan

The CIA pinpointed the compound in August and first informed President Obama about the intelligence in September of last year. As evidence mounted in mid-February that bin Laden and his family were living in the compound, the President and the National Security Council began holding a series of "intensive" meetings about a covert military strike aimed at killing him, according to administration officials.

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Nuclear nonproliferation

Retired General: Republicans Making Nuclear Terrorism More Likely (AUDIO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 24, 2011, 12:52PM

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

A retired Army general is taking to the radio to call out leaders of the Republican party for making it more likely we'll be blown up by a terrorist's nuclear bomb.

Lt. Gen. Robert Gard is the star of a series of radio ads targeting Republican leaders in the House and Senate for supporting "deep cuts to the U.S. Government's signature nuclear security program to remove highly enriched uranium and other dangerous nuclear materials from countries in the former Soviet Union and other unstable regions around the world."

Gard is a veteran of the Vietnam and Korean wars and a top official at Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, a nonpartisan group (with center-left lean) focused on reducing the spread of nuclear weapons and other threats.

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'Obama's Wars'

McCain, Graham Lead Effort to Strip Holder of Detainee Authority

Susan Crabtree | March 10, 2011, 3:47PM

Attorney General Eric Holder

Six senators, led by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), are pushing for sweeping changes to the nation's laws governing detainees and the war on terror, including one that would strip Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department as a whole of the power to make decisions about where to try suspected terrorists.

The group of senators, which includes Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Scott Brown (R-MA), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), are working with Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee on a bill that would usher in comprehensive detainee policy changes and would, among other things, affirm the military's right to detain, hold and interrogate detains at its discretion without the involvement of the Department of Justice or Holder.

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Robert Menendez

Menendez On GOP Tax Cut Posture: 'Do You Negotiate With Terrorists?'

Brian Beutler | December 3, 2010, 2:22PM

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)

At a press conference this afternoon with several Senators calling out Republicans for blocking middle-class tax cuts, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) escalated the Dem rhetoric by comparing the GOP's my-way-or-the-highway posture to the demands of terrorists.

Responding to a reporter pressing Dems to explain why the haven't put forth a compromise that can pass the Senate, Menendez said a quickly negotiated solution might not be in the best interest of the nation.

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Peter King

Peter King: Declare Wikileaks A Terrorist Organization

Eric Kleefeld | November 29, 2010, 10:07AM

Rep. Peter King (R-NY)

Rep. Peter King (R-NY), the incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, has called for tough measures against Wikileaks in the wake of the latest publication of diplomatic communications -- namely, that they be declared a foreign terrorist organization.

As The Hill reports:

"I am calling on the attorney general and supporting his efforts to fully prosecute Wikileaks and its founder for violating the Espionage Act. And I'm also calling on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to declare Wikileaks a foreign terrorist organization," King said on WNIS radio on Sunday evening.

"By doing that, we will be able to seize their funds and go after anyone who provides them help or contributions or assistance whatsoever," he said. "To me, they are a clear and present danger to America."

Question: Would King feel the same way about people who have been entangled with the IRA?

Bob Woodward

Top 5 Leaks In Obama's Wars: Secret Armies, Terrorist Attacks And Political Strategizing

Christina Bellantoni | September 22, 2010, 1:00PM

Author Bob Woodward

News outlets that got a sneak peek Bob Woodward's latest book found that President Obama fretted that, without a timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, he would lose support from his Democratic base. Woodward's Obama's Wars, out Monday, reveals an administration sparring over policy for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an Obama shaken by the potential of a terrorist attack and a secret CIA army helping fight terrorism in Pakistan.

Woodward, who wrote three books about President George W. Bush, interviewed administration officials, Cabinet members, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for the book. Obama's Wars focuses mostly on Afghanistan and Obama's decision to send a surge of 30,000 troops there as he pulled combat troops from Iraq.

Here are the top 5 revelations out today.

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Barack Obama

Obama Addresses The Nation At End Of Iraq War (VIDEO)

Megan Carpentier | August 31, 2010, 11:28PM

Tonight, President Barack Obama addressed the nation to mark the end of combat operations in the Iraq war. For full TPM coverage of the speech, click here.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Goodbye, Iraq: Many American Soldiers Come Home After U.S. Drawdown]

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Terror Babies

Ex-FBI Official Debunks 'Terror Babies' Conspiracy Theory On CNN (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 12, 2010, 1:18PM

Anderson Cooper did a fun takedown last night of the latest right-wing meme against birthright citizenship -- that according to anonymous former FBI officials, there is a long-running plot to have "terror babies" born here as U.S. citizens, then flown overseas and trained to come back and attack the United States 20 to 30 years later. Last night, Cooper brought on an actual former FBI official to debunk it.

The "terror babies" plot has previously been discussed on the House floor by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX). On Tuesday night, Cooper hosted Texas state Rep. Debbie Riddle, who also pushed the great danger of the terrorist babies -- though she said she would not reveal her sources and did not have the evidence on hand. So on Wednesday night, Cooper hosted Tom Fuentes, who served as the FBI's assistant director in the office of international operations from 2004 to 2008.

"The FBI has 75 offices overseas, including offices in Jordan, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan," explained Fuentes. "There was never a credible report -- or any report, for that matter -- coming across through all the various mechanisms of communication to indicate that there was such a plan for these terror babies to be born.

"Also, I'd like to add, there seems to be a lot of former FBI agents lurking in the halls of Congress and in the legislature in the state of Texas, so I'm kind of curious about that issue as well."

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Louie Gohmert

Gohmert On Terrorist Babies Theory: 'It's Not Just A Theory' (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | July 2, 2010, 2:12PM

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) wants you to know about the national security threat written into the Constitution: Terrorist babies.

Last week, we told you that Gohmert warned America that the 14th Amendment -- which guarantees that anyone born in the U.S. is a citizen -- was allowing terrorist women to come to the U.S., have a baby, and:

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Joe Lieberman

Nobody's Showing Up To Joe Lieberman's TEA Party

Brian Beutler | May 7, 2010, 12:38PM

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

It's probably a safe bet that if House Republican Leader John Boehner backs away from a conservative, terrorism-related bill called "TEA," the legislation both goes too far, and isn't going anywhere.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) captured big headlines, and interesting supporters, when he proposed the Terrorist Expatriation Act, which would amend current law to allow the State Department to revoke the citizenship of Americans they deem to be members of foreign terrorist organizations. Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) joined his push. So did House Democrat Jason Altmire, who hails from a competitive district in Pennsylvania.

But that's about all she wrote.

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Supreme Court vacancy

Why Obama Doesn't Want To Part With Janet Napolitano

Christina Bellantoni | May 3, 2010, 1:20PM

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano

It's no secret that Janet Napolitano is one of President Obama's favorite Cabinet members. But as her name continues to linger at the bottom of his Supreme Court shortlist, the fact that she's among the busiest in the administration is a signal she's unlikely to be chosen for a new job on the high court any time soon.

As Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Napolitano has her hands full handling some of the administration's biggest priorities and crises. From immigration to oil spills to airline security and domestic terror threats, Napolitano's department is tasked with major initiatives that have her traveling the country and appearing frequently on television. Plus, DHS oversees FEMA, so she isn't a stranger to handling weather threats and working on the administration's Katrina rebuilding effort.

She was in Obama's final four last spring and remains on the list this year as he nears a decision to replacing retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. Sources close to Obama have said she was chosen for her current spot -- after being considered for several others -- because of her long career in public service and her civil rights record. She's also a breast cancer survivor. These qualities all fit the bill for those empathetic characteristics Obama is seeking in a new justice, but selecting Napolitano is less certain because she's both needed and embroiled in many heated policy changes.

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Flight 253

Obama Offers Olive Branch To Muslims In Aftermath Of Terror Review

Christina Bellantoni | January 8, 2010, 9:25AM

A minaret, on the left

President Obama and his top terrorism advisers warned young Muslims against interest in Al Qaeda yesterday in little-noticed comments detailing the aftermath of Flight 253.

Tucked into Obama's readout of the review into how a man was allowed to board the Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day with explosives in his underwear was a message to the Islamic world that the president has been offering since he took office.

"We know that the vast majority of Muslims reject Al Qaeda," Obama said.

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Flight 253

Peter King Says Obama Could Make Country Safer By Using The Word Terrorism (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | January 6, 2010, 1:54PM

Frequent White House critic Rep. Peter King (R-NY) said today on ABC's "Good Morning America" that President Obama should use the world "terrorism" more frequently.

Host George Stephanopoulos interviewed King, who said someone should be held accountable in the wake of the failed terror attempt on Flight 253.

The host asked "one other specific recommendation the president could implement."

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Flight 253

Obama In Situation Room: It Was 'Screw Up' But No Finger Pointing

Christina Bellantoni | January 5, 2010, 6:02PM

President Obama told the advisers he met with today that the Flight 253 incident "was a screw up that could have been disastrous."

An administration official told TPMDC that Obama expressed his frustration in the Situation Room meeting with key Cabinet members who briefed him on the ongoing review into the Christmas day attempted terror attack.

"We dodged a bullet but just barely," Obama said, according to the official.

"It was averted by brave individuals not because the system worked and that is not acceptable," Obama said. "While there will be a tendency for finger pointing, I will not tolerate it."

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Flight 253

Flight 253 Failures Top Today's White House Agenda

Christina Bellantoni | January 5, 2010, 9:15AM

President Barack Obama meets with John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, in the Oval Office, Jan. 4, 2010.

President Obama will meet with 20 top advisers and Cabinet members in the Situation Room today about the review into how a man with explosives in his underwear was allowed to board Flight 253 on Christmas Day.

An administration official told TPMDC that Obama will receive several updates in that meeting.

FBI Director Robert Mueller will update the president on the investigation. Attorney General Eric Holder will discuss the prosecution. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will update Obama on the detection capabilities review he ordered immediately following the failed terror attempt.

Obama also asked for a review of the watchlisting procedures (more on that here) and will be briefed today by Homeland Security adviser John Brennan.

The administration official said Brennan will lay out his initial findings, and each agency head will detail their internal reviews and reforms they've put in place so far "as a result of lessons already learned from the incident on Christmas Day."

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Flight 253

Flight 253 Fallout: Obama, Congress To Probe National Security Intelligence

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 5:22PM

President Obama meets with Denis McDonough from his national security team while on vacation in Hawaii. Official White House photo.

Expect Congressional hearings exploring what happened in the weeks before the attempted terror attack on Flight 253 in the new year.

President Obama returns to Washington next week and plans a private huddle with intelligence officials and his national security team to evaluate the findings of a probe into the communication breakdown that allowed a Nigerian man to board a plane with explosives in his underwear.

Already the administration has put in place new measures and homeland security officials are coordinating with international airports.

Congress will be back mid-January and if the political chatter this week is any indication, Flight 253 will dominate their return.

In the week since the incident, there have been statements from Obama and other top White House officials, a preliminary review and a host of political fundraising attempts and accusations coming from GOP members of Congress and former President Dick Cheney.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kit Bond announced Jan. 21 hearings of their Senate Select Committee on Intelligence but will start the investigation sooner by collecting "all intelligence related to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab held by various intelligence agencies in order to determine who had what, and how the information was handled."

The panel also will review national security policies on sharing information and terrorist watchlisting, they said. The House intelligence panel also is looking into the incident.

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Flight 253

Napolitano Sending DHS Officials Overseas To Coordinate With International Airports

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 4:07PM

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano

Top Homeland Security officials next week will do international outreach at major international airports in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America as the U.S. government continues to probe how a Nigerian man with explosives in his underwear was able to board a trans-Atlantic flight.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced in a statement this afternoon that Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute, Assistant Secretary for Policy David Heyman and other senior DHS officials to the airports. They will review security procedures and technology being used to screen passengers on flights bound for the United States, she said.

"As part of the ongoing review to determine exactly what went wrong leading up to Friday's attempted terrorist attack, we are looking not only at our own processes, but also beyond our borders to ensure effective aviation security measures are in place for U.S-bound flights that originate at international airports," Napolitano said.

She said the officials will find ways to "collectively bolster our tactics for defeating terrorists wherever they may seek to launch an attack" and said she will follow-up with them in meetings in January.

President Obama received a preliminary review today that sources say will reveal communication and process breakdown within the intelligence community before the incident.

Flight 253

Reyes Asks For 'Blatant Politicization Of National Security' To Stop

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 3:44PM

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)

House Intelligence panel Chairman Rep. Silvestre Reyes bemoaned the politics that have taken over the investigation into Flight 253 and said Congress must take a "hard look" into what happened leading up to the failed Christmas Day terror attempt.

Reyes (D-TX) said he is closely following the developments and is being briefed by White House and committee staffers. President Obama received the preliminary review today in Hawaii.

"This incident is an incredibly serious and disturbing reminder that intelligence sharing and U.S. security systems are better than they once were, but they're not where they need to be," Reyes said in a statement. "As soon as Congress returns, the Committee will be taking a hard look at what could have been done better in this case and what changes to our intelligence processes may be necessary."

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Flight 253

White House Grants Waiver For Brennan To Work On Flight 253 Review

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 10:34AM

Dep. National Security Advisor John Brennan

Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Adviser John Brennan was granted an ethics waiver so he can be part of the review into the incidents leading up to the Flight 253 attempted terror attack.

The White House announced and posted the waiver in a blog post last night, just before Brennan delivers the preliminary review to the president.

Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, wrote in the blog that Brennan deserves a waiver to get around the Obama administration's rules related to former employers because he "brings a unique mixture of know-how and understanding to this assignment."

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Democrats

NRSC: 'When A Foreigner Tries To Blow Up An Airliner,' It's Terrorism

Brian Beutler | December 31, 2009, 10:09AM

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tx)

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is making a direct appeal to donors on the grounds that President Obama doesn't understand the "scary" threats posed by foreigners who try to blow up airliners, and Democrats are infuriated.

An NRSC fundraising email sent yesterday doesn't pull any punches. "Even more scary was knowing this country was one faulty detonator away from an American airliner being blown out of the sky," the letter reads.

Remember right after the inauguration, it was revealed President Obama no longer wanted to acknowledge the 'global war on terror' and referred to terrorist acts as 'man-made disasters'? Back then you and I knew that showed a remarkable lack of understanding of the threat America faced but in the face of what nearly happened a couple days, it is even more infuriating.

To you and me and our friends throughout America, the healthcare bill is a man-made disaster. And when a foreigner tries to blow up an airliner, it is an attempted terrorist attack.

Now Dems are punching back.

"Republicans have gone beyond crass political opportunism - using a potential terrorist attack as an opportunity to play partisan games and raise campaign cash - it's unbelievable - and the American people are not going to tolerate it," says a new statement from DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan. "Let's be clear - we will not be lectured to by Republicans who are more interested in scoring cheap political points and cashing-in on an attempted terrorist attack than in protecting America. And certainly not when it was these same Republicans who implemented a radical foreign policy that alienated our allies, emboldened our enemies, depleted our resources, distracted our focus and who made the nation less secure."

You can read the entire email below the fold, along with the DNC response.

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Flight 253

Obama Getting Preliminary Flight 253 Report Today

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 10:06AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama will learn preliminary results from the review he ordered of the leadup to the attempt terror attack on the Christmas Day Flight 253.

Sources tell TPMDC that Obama, on vacation in Hawaii, will receive a basic readout before the full review is completed. The probe will reportedly show that U.S. government intelligence agencies failed to share key information, a similar criticism in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

It is unlikely the information will be shared with the press and the public.

The Associated Press reported that White House homeland security and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan was planning to send Obama the first summary of the review. The final report also will include recommendations for how to prevent future missteps.

Administration officials believe the review will show a link between Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and al Qaeda.

Late Update: Brennan also was granted a waiver to participate in the review. More on that here.

Flight 253

WH Hits Back: Obama 'Doesn't Need To Beat His Chest To Prove' Nation Is At War

Christina Bellantoni | December 30, 2009, 4:27PM

President Obama

In an unusually direct and aggressive blog post, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer today criticizes former Vice President Dick Cheney for his constant critique of the administration's national security policies.

Pfeiffer wrote, "it is telling that Vice President Cheney and others seem to be more focused on criticizing the Administration than condemning the attackers."

Pfeiffer said that in his statement to Politico today Cheney makes a "clearly untrue" claim that Obama doesn't realize we're at war.

"I don't think anyone realizes this very hard reality more than President Obama," Pfeiffer wrote, detailing the times Obama and his top advisers have used the term.

"The difference is this: President Obama doesn't need to beat his chest to prove it, and - unlike the last Administration - we are not at war with a tactic ("terrorism"), we [are] at war with something that is tangible: al Qaeda and its violent extremist allies. And we will prosecute that war as long as the American people are endangered," he wrote.

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Steve King

Steve King: Obama Refuses To Share Info On Flight 253

Eric Kleefeld | December 30, 2009, 10:28AM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is accusing the Obama administration of refusing to share information with him and other Republican members of Congress on the attempted Flight 253 bombing. In response, King is calling for the relevant administration officials to brief all of Congress, for several hours behind closed doors.

"You can't ask Congress to support your effort if you can't at least have a sit-down conversation in a classified setting," King told Iowa Public Television. "So what I'm going to push for is a session of Congress that is a classified briefing on the floor of Congress that brings in all the administration personnel that have jurisdiction over this and then close and lock the doors, shut down the security and then keep them there for three or four hours so they have to answer the questions rather than filibuster the questions."

Typically, security information is shared with particular members of Congress on specific committees, rather than all of Congress, in order to avoid creating too many opportunities for information to leak out. The idea of briefing all of Congress would certainly be interesting.

Guantanamo Bay

Senators Lieberman, McCain And Graham Ask Obama To Halt Transfer Of Yemeni Gitmo Detainees

Christina Bellantoni | December 29, 2009, 5:01PM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Sen. Joe Lieberman, Sen. John McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote a letter to President Obama today asking he halt any transfer of the six Yemeni detainees being held in Guantanamo Bay.

The trio of senators, who often see eye-to-eye on national security issues, said the transfer of the detainees would be "highly unwise and ill-considered."

Lieberman (I-CT) McCain (R-AZ) and Graham (R-SC) asked that until the United States is sure the detainees "will not return to the battlefield," all transfers to Yemen should cease.

A senior administration official tells TPMDC that Obama's Guantanamo review specifically identifies each detainee.

The task force evaluates detainees and the threat they pose, to determine whether they should be prosecuted, detained, or transferred, the official said.

The administration has worked with the government of Yemen to make sure all appropriate security measures are taken when the detainees are transferred, and Obama "will not release any detainee who would endanger the American people," the official said.

The official said Gitmo has been used by Al Qaeda as a rallying cry and recruiting tool, and the administration maintains that closing it is a national security imperative.

Excerpts from the Lieberman/McCain/Graham letter after the jump, and read it in full here.

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Pete Hoekstra

DNC Says Hoekstra Fundraising Email 'Tells You All You Need To Know' About GOP

Christina Bellantoni | December 29, 2009, 2:59PM

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)

Democrats say Rep. Pete Hoekstra went too far using the failed terror attempt on flight 253 to raise money for his campaign for governor.

As we reported earlier, Hoekstra (R-MI) fundraised off the Christmas Day incident and joined other Republicans who are calling the Obama White House weak.

DNC Spokesman Hari Sevugan sharply criticized Hoekstra:

"It was shameful that Republicans like Mr. Hoekstra would attempt to play politics with our national security at all, but raising money off it is beyond the pale," Sevugan said.

"Republicans are playing politics with issues of national security and terrorism, and that they would use this incident as an opportunity to fan partisan flames and raise money for political campaigns tells you all you need to know about how far the Republican party has fallen and how out of step with the American people they have become," he added.

"The American people simply will not tolerate the likes of Mr. Hoekstra and the Republican Party playing politics with the serious issues of national security and terrorism - especially after the mess they left this country in both domestically and on national security after eight years of failed leadership."

Jim DeMint

S.C. Dems Blast Sen. Jim DeMint As Endangering Lives With Hold On TSA Nominee

Christina Bellantoni | December 29, 2009, 1:16PM

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)

South Carolina Democrats have wasted no time attacking Sen. Jim DeMint for blocking the confirmation of Erroll Southers to be administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, suggesting his moves have threatened the lives of "millions of American travelers."

DeMint (R-SC) had placed a hold on the vote to confirm Southers because he wanted to debate the nomination instead of approve it under unanimous consent.

Democratic leadership will vote on the nomination when they return from recess next month.

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TSA

Dems Vow Roll Call Vote On TSA Nominee Delayed By Sen. Jim DeMint

Christina Bellantoni | December 29, 2009, 12:36PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will schedule a formal Senate roll call vote on the nomination of Erroll Southers to be administrator of the Transportation Security Administration as soon as Congress returns from break.

Reid spokesman Jim Manley told TPMDC that Reid will file a cloture motion as soon as the Senate reconvenes the week of Jan. 19. He said it's a necessary step to overcome Sen. Jim DeMint's hold on the nomination.

"In light of recent incidents TSA deserves to have its leadership in place," Manley said. "It is long past time for Senator DeMint to stop trying to score cheap political points."

Confirmations rarely are subject to roll call votes - several passed the Senate by unanimous consent the day they adjourned.

Democrats are furious that DeMint (R-SC) blocked the confirmation over a question of whether Southers would allow collective bargaining for TSA screeners. They believe that if Democrats had delayed a national security nominee under a Republican president, their party would be excoriated.

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Terrorism

Congress Starts TSA Administrator Blame Game

Christina Bellantoni | December 29, 2009, 9:30AM

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS)

Democrats are pointing fingers at Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) for blocking the confirmation of Erroll Southers as the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, and the conservative senator is pointing right back.

DeMint's office said it's not an issue of blocking Southers but instead that the senator is seeking debate on the nomination.

DeMint isn't planning on revoking the hold.

A Senate aide told TPMDC that DeMint's objection was to the procedure Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid attempted to use to approve the nomination - unanimous consent.

DeMint thought there should be a debate and a roll call vote, the aide said.

"Leader Reid can schedule consideration of this nomination any time he wants," the aide said. "But he felt health care was more important. Our view is if the Democrats are upset they've only got themselves to blame because Obama took forever to nominate him."

Southers was nominated in early September and his confirmation hearings were wrapped up earlier this month.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said in a statement TSA needs a permanent administrator.

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Terrorism

In Wake Of Review, More Details On Watch Lists Alphabet Soup

Christina Bellantoni | December 27, 2009, 1:27PM

A frequent question being asked following the failed Flight 253 terrorist attack on Christmas Day is why wasn't suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's name on the watch lists that could have prevented the transport of explosive material in a second screening.

President Obama has ordered a review into the travel security and watch-listing procedures, and an administration official detailed for TPMDC the multiple agencies what the review will examine.

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