“THE SYSTEM WORKED.”
Department of Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano in response to the thwarting of the attempt to blow-up an airplane over Detroit on Christmas.
So a terrorist sneaks a bomb through airline security (only to be stop by a badly designed bomb and quick heroic responses by other passengers) counts as the system working in the Obama Administration. I think Jonah Goldberg’s response over at The Corner is the proper response to this statement.
That is funny, The system working can now be defined by “Man on the street taking responsibility the their own security”
I would like to know what other SA readers think. Is the Dept.of Homeland Security working? Is it just another bloated Gov. agency?
The system worked. We plan to have a Dutch passenger on every international flight.
ROTFL
What’s with the new rule to fix this: “Passengers have to be seated the last hour of the flight.”
As someone else pointed out, both the shoe bomber and the pants afire bomber were sitting in their seats.
The passengers who lunged OUT of their seats to save everyone would be penalized.
Epic Fail. System SNAFU.
And fire that incompentent quitter governor who fled this state as the red ink tide rose and is now working her magic nationally. The red she’ll have on her hands won’t be ink, but the blood of innocent Americans.
The NUMBER ONE DUTY of the POTUS is to defend the nation against enemies foreign and domestic. It’s Obama’s sworn duty to find competent people to carry out this task who understand what the stakes are, for the PEOPLE, not partisan politics.
Typical Napolitano BS. Brave citizens protect themselves and she says the system worked. No, the “system” failed. The “system” should have kept this guy off the plane. But the “system” is, like many government entities, highly flawed and – really – only works when average people remain vigilent for their personal safety. Napolitano has always loved the sound of her own voice and always thinks she’s the smartest one in the room. It would be merely funny if those traits led to her undoing, but she’s in a position to harm, rather than protect this nation.
I hate to break it to you, but the TSA does not screen Passengers coming INTO the United States. The government of the country they leave from does. So yet again, you fail. *pats on the head* Now go play while the grown ups run the country.
Pious,
And the American government did what with the information provided to our embassy in Nigeria by the terrorist’s father?
Big Sis was used to a lap dog press in Arizona that hung on her every word panting for more. She can’t get away with it in Washington, where even the liberal press won’t put up with such stupidities as, “The system worked.”
Sigh….that is the job of the FBI. Not Homeland Security.
Pious,
Keep sighing. You’re wrong. The FBI and Homeland Security are supposed to communicate. That was the lesson of 9/11. They didn’t communicate and that was a huge failure. The system is not supposed to depend on the bravery of the passengers, though thank God for the men who took down the terrorist.
Sigh . . . It’s one government, not a confederation of fiefdoms.
Dumb. I like Janet, but this gobsmackingly stupid. The system broke down in many and varied ways, from Nigeria and the Netherlands* doing piss poor security checks, to this guy not being on a no-fly list, to the fact that there wasn’t an air marshal on board.
Thankfully, Al Queda still can’t build an effect bomb that can be slipped past security – THAT’S what saved these people. Not dismissing the heroics of passengers, but they would have been for naught had the bomb been able to do more than scorch the crotch of Mr. Abdulmutallab.
* – The Germans and the Egyptians had impressive security screenings on my recent trip to the Middle East. I had to be screened 3 times in Frankfurt on return from Cairo, and Egypt had a security check before you even got in the terminal.
Klute -Did your security screenings in Germany go quickly and without the theatre of US screenings? That has been my experience.
I think it is doubtful Abdulmutallab had much contact with Al Qaeda. This doesn’t seem to have the hallmarks of one of their operations.
And yes, the Dept. of Homeland Security is a bloated and completely useless agency. The entire thing is based on the idea that the problem with 9-11 was that agencies didn’t share information and that putting everything under one department was somehow going to fix it all. The premise is wrong and so is the answer.
The man’s father informed the US Embassy in Nigeria that his son was a potential danger, the guy had already been flagged in UK as a potential problem.
We’ve seen Janet “Epic Fail” Napolitano all over the news, but to be fair to her, the State Department blew it, big time ALSO. They did not revoke the man’s visa, they had quite a number of red flags to not have given him a US visa in the first place, even BEFORE the father contacted them, but haven’t seen hide nor hair of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explaining to the American public what went wrong at State.
Napolitano has her share of the blame, and it’s huge enough, but Hillary Clinton shouldn’t be allowed to hide behind Napolitano’s skirts.
And Barack Obama, POTUS, as chief executive, sworn to defend the United States from enemies foreign and domestic, selected BOTH Clinton and Napolitano to faithfully carry out that mandate. Any other CEO would be held responsible for the failure, and have to explain his or her choice of subordinates who have proven they can’t do the jobs required of them.
Can’t keep gate crashers out at the White House, Can’t keep bombers off of planes. This is our “new and improved” federal government. Your security is now YOUR responsibility. Get used to it.
We’ve been on the Nigeria-Shipol-US route many many times. The Shipol airport is plenty modern and slick, but it and the hotels and restaurants in and around it are infested with pick-pockets, purse snatchers and credit card thievery by store clerks.
Buy anything there, be sure it’s by cash and hold on to your wallet. SO it’s looks nice and technically functions perfectly, but there’s an uneasy undercurrent to it that is not felt in ANY US airport.
Lagos is … well they have stickers on the walls that say “Don’t pay bribes to staff” – sort of a “Don’t feed the bears” thing. And the only decent international hotel nearby has a sign, “The hotel is not responsible for guests being killed in the parking lot.”
“Klute -Did your security screenings in Germany go quickly and without the theatre of US screenings? That has been my experience.”
Well, I transferred through Frankfurt, where at one point our Lufthansa agent advised us to go to a gate that didn’t exist, and when we got back to the A terminal, they were actually removing a sign that pointed to the C terminal that we needed to go to.
So it was theatre – Weimar Republic-styled, impressionist theatre.
But no, customs and airport security were professional, smooth, and friendly (at one point, they attempted to guess where I had been based on the contents of my luggage – a fez, a hooka, and a prayer lamp – they said Morocco, but still in the North Africa ballpark).
I’d bet a shiny Sacagawea dollar that papatodd and wanumba were tripping over their legs trying to get to a keyboard to defend Michael Brown in ’05.
Who’s Michael Brown?
You know, that guy who got his start making sure Arabian horse semen was pure and then was made head of the department that was supposed to rebuild the country after a nuclear attack? Stood by as New Orleans drowned? That guy.
Should have strung it along longer so Sonoran Alliance readers had a chance to set up a betting pool and made some serious money. Can’t buy much with a Sacagawea dollar these days, no matter how shiny it is.
You can ship my earnings to DSW. It’s not much of course, it’s the principle of it that’s important.
The Dept of Homeland Security. An amalgamation of 20-some odd federal agencies that already existed prior to 9/11. More concerned with veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan than actual terrorists. Headed by a woman who never saw a budget she couldn’t expand or money she didn’t have but could sure spend. A woman who said those who breach our borders weren’t committing a crime “per se”. This is our current federal government at work. This agency should be abolished along with the sycophantic oxygen thieves who run this bureucratic money pit. Inexcusable. If you’re not convinced by now we need good conservatives to take back our Congress and start implementing some common sense, you never will be. These bureacracies illustrate just how inept government has become. And they want to improve our health system? Heaven help us.
Klute – yes, maybe even more to your point. Who got fired over 9-11? I seem to recall it was no one. But clearly the underpants bomber is more serious so heads must roll…
PS. Strange, Lufthansa has always been a great airline for me and Frankfurt a breeze to get through.
“If you’re not convinced by now we need good conservatives to take back our Congress and start implementing some common sense, you never will be. ”
Sure Andy Goss. Oh wait, wasn’t it good conservatives who set this monstrosity up? Or was it only a well-oiled machine when Bush was president but is now a horrible bureaucracy?
Oh!
Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco.
A week’s warning, the POTUS swinging by on Air Force One and on the phone telling them to CALL AN EMEREGENCY SO THE POTUS COULD PREPOSITION NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS, and to get MOVING on evacuating the POOR, the ELDERLY, the entire Gulf Coast emergency disaster plan written expressly for a Category 5 direct hit on New Orleans, highlighted ten months before in National Geographic, one their shelves, personalized copies JUST FOR THE MAYOR AND GOVERNOR.
The neighboring states declared emergencies and got their troops and resources pre-positioned, but Nagin and Blanco told Bush, “We ‘ll get back to you.”
Nagin even blew off an AMTRACK offer to FREEBIE load up on citizens as they were moving all their rolling stock out of the city before the hurricane hit. The emergency plan stated that the mayor should use all city vehicles, LIKE SCHOOL BUSSES to evacuate up to 200,000 elderly and poor without transport.
Shall we link to the flooded, ruined school bus parking lots photos? Dozens and dozens of busses not used. Nagin’s job. Nagin didn’t have to think up ANYTHINg – it was ALL there, just follow the instructions.
Nagin and Blanco should be in prison for criminal negligence, but they hit on the idea to blame Bush as cover for their EPIC FAIL.
No one’s disputing the local response failed the people of New Orleans. That’s the point of FEMA – the local agencies fail, and the Federal government is then supposed to take over.
Using your statement:
“Any other CEO would be held responsible for the failure, and have to explain his or her choice of subordinates who have proven they can’t do the jobs required of them.”
FEMA ****ed up to the point Bush had to appoint Army General Honore to lead the recovery.
Since this conversation is about F-E-D-E-R-A-L agencies, and based on your “Buh-buh-buh NAGIN AND BLANCO!” dodge to indemnify the Bush’s useless appointment, I’m keeping my Sacagawea.
Todd,
Excellent point. Ashcroft was allowed to keep his job, and Tenet got the Medal of Freedom, and that’s way more apples to apples here.
This basically encapsulates my last experience in Frankfurt:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/pragues_franz_kafka_international
Klute – be careful posting humor here that refers to Kafka, you might be branded a liberal elitist.
Todd, George Bush doesn’t get a pass from me. While I admire many things about his presidency, I am also at odds with several things. His creation of DHS is one of them. It’s no secret he grew government and acted fiscally irresponsibly. I don’t think the current crop of conservative candidates, if elected, will allow that to happen again.
Who is President now?
JD,
Well, if the right is to be believed, George Soros.
I really do not care who is in office or whether they have a D or an R after it. When our elected officials F-up as bad as they do [recent or not], we should spend as much time demanding that THEY be held accountable for their failures. If we give them a pass, why should they care?
In the real world, heads would roll. 30+ comments yelling at each other. Anyone called their congressman yet demanding for Janet’s resignation?
The Klute Says:
December 28th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
No one’s disputing the local response failed the people of New Orleans. That’s the point of FEMA – the local agencies fail, and the Federal government is then supposed to take over.
…………..
The primary responsibility for New Orleans was Mayor NAGIN and BLANCO.
They had ALL resources available and they did NOT IMPLEMENT the EMERGENCY ACTION STRUCTURE.
It would have been a Constitutional violation for Bush to have shoved FEDERAL TROOPS and FEDERAL ASSISTANCE into the state of Louisiania WITHOUT The GOVERNOR’s approval. While neighboring states declared the state of Emergency BEFORE the hurricane hit and took advantage of Bush’s offer to pre-position troops, upgrade evacuations with Federal assistance, Blanco and Nagin sat on their hands. They BLEW OFF the POTUS. Any deaths assoicated with the storm are their fault.
Constitutionally, Bush was blocked as long as BLANCO did not act.
It’s pure partisan political cover to claim blame to the Federal government when Nagin and Blanco had EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED. Including FEDERAL FUNDS TO UPGRADE THE LEVEES, based on the predictions of a levee failure with a Cat 5 direct hit. EXACTLY as the scenario was presented in the National Geograhaphic article MONTHS before Katrina.
THe Federal funds went to New Orleanas, but the levees were NOT improved and as PREDICTED YEARS BEFORE BY ENGINEERS, they failed two days after the storm passed. Where’s the money?
Contrast their incompetence and neglect with Rudy Giuliani’s response in New York City on 9/11. Nagin had a WEEK of warning, including the National Huricane Center calling him PERSONALLY to tell him, “THIS is the BIG one.”
Giuliani had NO WARNING. New York FUNCTIONED amidst horror and destruction because Giuliani had years of good management and professionalism when he was mayor. It paid off in a crisis.
It’s very telling as to how poorly New Orleans City governance was to see videos of New Orleans cops looting shops. No New York city cops were looting anything. New Yorkers, as racially and ethnically mixed as any city in the world did not have mobs looting and rampaging thru the wrecked streets, but New Orleans had them. More New Yorkers died in the space of 10 seconds than died in New Orleans in over a week.
The Federal government is not supposed to be Big Mama when childish mayors and childish governors ignore their SWORN duties.
Nagin and Blanco should be in prison for criminal negligence. If a 19 year old black guy without a driver’s license could commandeer an abandoned New Orleans City bus and drive over 30 poor people to safety in Texas, then it wasn’t so hard after all to get people out of the way who had no means.
I’m *so* keeping that Sacagawea. Even papatodd can grudingly admit that it doesn’t matter if there’s an R or D next to the name -if the person in charge sucks, they suck.
But you, wanumba, you’ll twist yourself into positions that make the subject of Heironymus Bosch painting look stuff just to provide ideological cover on how you can never be wrong.
Point blank: Did Michael Brown do a good job, post-Katrina? Yes or No. No exposition, no rationalization, yes or no.
Klute,
Who cares? Bush has moved to Texas. How about focusing on the present case?
todd sez: “I think it is doubtful Abdulmutallab had much contact with Al Qaeda. This doesn’t seem to have the hallmarks of one of their operations.”
Sorry todd: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/28/al-qaeda-group-claims-responsibility-for-christmas-day-attack/
And thank you, JD – the libs always manage to turn to look back when we need all eyes wide open on the future. Now the important question is what will poor Napolitano do when she gets pink-slipped . . .
JD,
Hey, wanumba’s the one who’s writing the several hundred word defense of Brownie for my one sentence of snark. I’ve already laid my position out (post 11):
“Dumb. I like Janet, but this gobsmackingly stupid. The system broke down in many and varied ways, from Nigeria and the Netherlands doing piss poor security checks, to this guy not being on a no-fly list, to the fact that there wasn’t an air marshal on board.”
Should she be removed? I won’t cry if she is, but I’m not at the pitchfork and torch level yet.
‘Ooops todd’
Ah yeah ‘Ooops todd’ the group ‘Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’ has claimed ties to all sorts of things but nothing has been verified. They also claim it was in retaliation for actions taken after the underpants bomber even bought his ticket.
I would be fine if Napolitano gets canned and think the whole DHS is a nightmare. I am also angry that the US policy has not changed from Guantanamo, domestic surveillance , rendition and the needless continued occupation of two countries. Not that I expected any of that to change, but what I find deeply bizarre is how the conservatives on here seem to think there has been some drastic change in how the federal government operates in just about any domain in comparison to the previous 8 years. The thing is, very little has objectively changed except who is President and who controls Congress but we saw none of the GOP politicians being held up to the same standards. This leads one to believe the criticism is not out of genuine dismay but out of opportunistic sniping.
Just a clarification. Every time Katrina is brought up to smear Bush, we always avail ourselves of the opportunity to inform the general readership who do not know how the emergency structures work. That the declaration of emergency is not excitable rhetoric, but an administrative trigger that shifts designated government offices and functions over to pre-determined and pre-assigned emergency operations.
We’ve noticed this abysmal lack of information on the part of the public which enables attacks on Bush, designed to obscure Nagin’s and Blanco’s absolutely critical failure of their duties regarding Katrina to go unchallenged. Blanco and Nagin did not want to declare the emergency so all city and state emergency functions were paralyzed and President Bush was Constitutionally bound to have the governor’s request in hand before he could move in Federal assistance. Blanco wouldn’t give it to him.
It really doesn’t matter who broaches the subject or how, it’s an opportunity to inform more of the general public. Too many people are not aware of this and the media has no interest in correcting that information deficiency.
We’re realists, many people who hear this get a snarl on their faces and clap their hands over their ears, so it’s an uphill battle, definitely.
And since this is events of many days gone by, we don’t want to be like as the good general said, “Stuck on stupid” so we return to the focus on today’s issue: The failure of Janet Napolitano and Hillary Clinton to get their respective agencies to do their jobs, and holding their boss accountable for the failure to protect the American public.
Billions of dollars for both agencies easily, but saved by the actions of ONE spunky DUTCH guy.
And you still cannot answer the question “Did Michael Brown do a good job, post-Katrina?”.
Because then you’d have to admit Bush made a mistake, and then the moral certitude that drives you to defend him (and your vote) might become slightly tarnished, and your ego will not allow that.
You’ve spent close to a thousand words defending Bush, and yet you can’t answer a simple question with one.
Fascinating.
Klute,
Since you seem bent on relitigating Katrina, let me pose some questions to you. Recall Katrina missed New Orleans and hit farther east along the Gulf Coast. The morning before the levees broke we all thought New Orleans had dodged another bullet. We now know that the destruction of New Orleans resulted from a design eror in the levees made by the Corps of Engineers years before Bush ever became president. The design error led the levees to fail with the resulting flooding of most of New Orleans. We also know the mayor was worthless and the governor even worse. If we all agree FEMA and Michael Brown also did a crummy job, what’s your point? Where’s the textbook for dealing with a major city being flooded under ten feet of water within hours? Recall what the flood waters did: All utilities — water, power, phone — fail, no 911 calls, no police or fire protection, the hospitals lose power, most of their emergency power systems also fail, residents with any significant disability are put at extreme risk, many drown, no food and no water. Who would have done better? Government almost never reacts quickly and almost always reacts clumsily to sudden disaster.
JD,
Because wanumba is ready with three nails and hammer for Obama with this statement:
“Any other CEO would be held responsible for the failure, and have to explain his or her choice of subordinates who have proven they can’t do the jobs required of them.”
And my snarky comment of wanumba tripping over his own legs to defend Michael Brown and wanumba’s subsequent confirmation of that show that wanumba doesn’t actually care about government accountability, just that his side is right.
I’ve laid out my position on Napolitano: “Dumb”, “Gobsmackingly stupid”, “I won’t cry if she’s removed”.
wanumba is so partisan, he can’t even admit when when a *bureaucrat* with the (R) next to his name sucks – and he’ll write 1000 words to avoid saying 1.
I was in South Florida for Hurricane Andrew, I remember when the Dade County emergency manager basically threw up her arms on live tv saying they couldn’t handle the situation and begging for Federal assistance. I know first hand how overwhelmed the system can get, and I know how it can work (Bush Sr., once the rust got off the bureaucratic machine, did a fine job in SoFla after Andrew).
Katrina? Who gives a darn about Katrina? The residents of New Orleans are so laughable that they actually re-elected Mayor Ray Nagel. Now that Janet [in her short career] has put out the DHS directive regarding RW extremist, told us that the AZ border is now secure [right....] and now this “the system worked/the system failed” BS. Are we going to be as idiotic as the residents of New Orleans?
From the liberal playbook . . . “if a liberal politician gets caught on the ropes because the liberal position is devastated by the facts, quickly change the subject.”
Our national security is in the hands of the Arizona’s “smartest woman” and America’s “smartest woman.”
Actual quotes.
Media myth-making collides with reality.
Where’s the Secretary of State explaining how State couldn’t spot a problem even when the problem’s FATHER told them to their faces? The guy shouldn’t have gotten a visa in the first place (by normal State Dept guidelines) and it should have been REVOKED immediately with that information.
How BAD was it for the Nigerian FATHER to be moved to go the distance, make all that effort, swallow his pride, set aside his heartbreak, and try to WARN Americans about his son?
Klute, you are obsessing on Michael Brown. He may not have done a great job, but he was constrained by Blanco and Nagin not allowing him to do anything before the situation got out of control. Given the circumstances and limitations he was placed under, he did a reasonable job. He was hung out to dry and his resignation was tendered, so he was held accountable even though Blanco and Nagin were not.
Given that New Orleans voters re-elected Nagin after his disastrous performance during Katrina, they apparently don’t deserve much better than what they got anyway. There is only so much that can be done to protect people from gross stupidity or who lack a functioning self preservation instinct.
Now back to the current mess. It is obvious that someone at the State Department and/or Homeland Security will have to be fired for not getting the bomber’s name on a no-fly list and not revoking his visa and that another person connected with airport security where he boarded (not an American unless Homeland Security has people in foreign airports) will have to be fired for letting the guy on the airplane with a bomb when his behavior should have flagged him as a suspect anyway.
I’m sure Clinton and Napolitano will find someone to take the fall for them this time. If it happens again, they will be at greater risk of getting canned themselves. Napolitano’s stupid public statements might get her fired if enough members of Congress complain very loudly.
The Klute Says:
December 28th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
“Dumb. I like Janet, but this gobsmackingly stupid. The system broke down in many and varied ways, from Nigeria and the Netherlands doing piss poor security checks, to this guy not being on a no-fly list, to the fact that there wasn’t an air marshal on board.”
Should she be removed? I won’t cry if she is, but I’m not at the pitchfork and torch level yet.
……………..
That’s one popular argument. Here’s the other side:
Our family flies all these high risk routes from Africa thru Europe FREQUENTLY. All of us. I WILL cry and rage if any one of my family are killed because “gobsmackingly stupid” wasn’t removed and replaced with someone COMPETENT who UNDERSTANDS THE STAKES. Napolitano gets second chances all the time, murdered people don’t.
This isn’t words, it’s human LIVES. Actions have consequences and lack of actions have consequences, too. When there are no second chances, then aggressive BLOCKING and INTERCEPTION LONG BEFORE the killers get on planes is the ONLY strategy.
Mopping up after the blood and body parts have been splattered about is only reducing the SCOPE OF THE FAILURE.
Hunter,
“Klute, you are obsessing on Michael Brown.”
Not really.
“Given the circumstances and limitations he was placed under, he did a reasonable job.”
And I disagree with that, but thank you for answering a question that wanumba seems genetically incapable of answering.
“…they apparently don’t deserve much better than what they got anyway.”
A recurring theme here! Which is fine with me – blatant contempt for segement of the population will shrink the GOP base further and further.
But to the point – “I’m sure Clinton and Napolitano will find someone to take the fall for them this time.”
I don’t. Regardless of the Admin, I’ve never seen American bureaucracy ever take a fall. From Three Mile Island to the Challenger disaster to 9/11 to Katrina, no one in the 4th branch of government ever gets their just desserts.
If this level of incompetence happened in the private sector, there would be lawsuits up the ying. Too bad we can’t sue our elected officials.
Also, good catch Mr. Wanumba! Sec-o-State Clinton has become the Invisible Woman on this one.
The morale among high level DHS investigators is horribly low. I recently had an opportunity to have a very candid dialogue with several; without betraying anything they let it be known that things are bad…very bad and this administration has neither the will nor the way to make it better.
All the diversionary, non-relative “Brownie” references you can think of will not makeup for one lost aircraft or one successful domestic attack. The appointment of Nappy to this post was payback for ditching Hillary and bringing along the WNBA voting block. She was a failure at Governor, unqualified at DHS, and needs to retire. Soon.
papatodd Says:
December 29th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
……………
Remember that video only a few months ago – Hillary bit off the head of a hapless mis-translated African guy, displaying to the world her excruciatingly honed diplomatic skills:
“Huh?? Huh??? You talkin’ to me?!? I AM the SECRETARY OF STATE, not my husband!!!”
Ooohhhhh, Hillary…where ARE you? You wanted the title, the salary, the power, but you don’t want the responsibility that goes with it?