Lee Dunn's List: POLITICAL PINHEADS

• Clueless Napolitano Now Concedes System 'Failed Miserably'
• By Mark Finkelstein (Bio | Archive)
  December 28, 2009
• It took a tough question from Matt Lauer, but after having laughably claimed that "the system worked," DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano has now conceded the obvious:
• that the security system that permitted Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to board NWA 253 with explosives "failed miserably."
• On Today and in other interviews this morning, Napolitano attempted to use her own ignorance as a shield. 
• Each time she was hit with a hard question, her response was to the effect "yeah, we're wondering about that ourselves." 
• She also continued to point the finger back at George Bush, repeatedly mentioning that the security procedures in place were formulated under the Bush administration.
• Whatever happened to "change you can believe in"?
• But back to Today, where Lauer laudably asked Napolitano the necessary question: how could she possibly have claimed, as she did yesterday, that the "system worked"?
• You made a comment over the weekend and I want to call attention to that because a lot of people are disagreeing with it this morning.  You talked about this incident aboard this Northwest flight and you said "when it came right down to it, the system worked."  A lot of people don't think the system worked at all, that the only thing that prevented outright disaster was luck.  Can you respond to that?
• MATT LAUER:
• JANET NAPOLITANO:
• Sure, I think the comment is being taken out of context. What I'm saying is that once the incident occurred, moving forward, we were immediately able to notify the 128 flights in the air of protective measures to take, immediately able to notify law enforcement on the ground, airports both domestically, internationally, all carriers, all of that happening within 60 to 90 minutes, so
• LAUER:
• So you're only talking about what happened after this man tried to ignite this explosive device on the plane.
• NAPOLITANO:
• Indeed.
• You would then concede that the system prior to that, the system that's supposed to prevent something like this from happening, failed miserably?
• LAUER:
• It did.  And that's why we are asking a lot of the same questions I heard you asking before this interview.  How did this individual get on the plane? Why wasn't the explosive material detected?  What do we need to do to change perhaps the rules that have been in place since 2006 for moving somebody from the generic database to more elevated status.  All of that under review right now.
• NAPOLITANO:
• LAUER:
• So many man-hours, so much money, Madam Secretary, has gone into securing fliers in this country and around the world, and so let's talk about it: how does a guy who's on this general terror list, who then buys a one-way, trans-Atlantic ticket with cash, checks no luggage, a man whose own father has written a letter to authorities both in his own country and U.S. embassy authorities, saying he's worried that his son has become more radicalized and might attempt some kind of a suicide mission. How is this guy not the perfect candidate for a strip search or a full-body scan?
• I've asked the same questions.
• NAPOLITANO:
• We've got another question: what is Janet Napolitano, head of a department that she now admits "failed miserably," still doing in office? 
• Note: As part of her "it's Bush's fault" defense, on Morning Joe Napolitano mentioned that young Umar had been issued his US visa "in June, 2008," i.e., during the Bush administration.  OK, but that would have been before his father was frantically trying to alert the Obama admin that his son had apparently turned into a terrorist.
• —Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
• Comments

• This From The...

    December 28, 2009 - 08:24 ET by GeneralAl 

   

  This from the woman that put out the letter accusing veterans, Conservatives, and gun owners of being the biggest terror threat to America and refusing to apologize for her comments!

• Yup, can hunting those

    December 28, 2009 - 08:58 ET by optimist 

   

  Yup, can hunting those patriots Janet!  You're doing a Brownie of a job!

• Give napolitano a break please.......

    December 28, 2009 - 10:51 ET by Patriot II 

   

  She is up to her butt in alligators and forgot her main objective was to drain the swamp!! This dimwit muslims dad called and warned them 2 YEARS ago about him.....humm guess it slipped their empty little minds......actually it didn't................they were too busy profiling, American Patriots, Veterans, Christians, Pro lifers.......oops....."another one bites the dust bump bump"!   Get rid of oblahma and the whole nest of vermin he has put in the white house before its too late!

• New Acorn videos...?

    December 28, 2009 - 10:14 ET by shannon76 

   

  Haha...can you imagine the new bighollywood videos from Breitbart, Hannah Giles, and...James (forgot his last name)...

   

  "My girlfriend, Hannah, is posing as a Nigerian suicide bomber. I play the role of her "handler" trying to procure a flight on board a European airline flying into the U.S. I will say Hannah has no passport and that she's been having trouble getting on to a flight because she's on an FBI terror watch-list...Will I be able to get her on the flight?"

   

  *gimme the drums..*

• They'll probably stop Hannah

    December 28, 2009 - 11:08 ET by Rover 

   

  She is, after all, a light-skinned, brown-haired, (beardless) female who speaks un-accented American english.  They can strip-search her without fearing an accusation of profiling.  That's their OBJECTIVE, after all, that nobody should be profiled.

• What surprises me

    December 28, 2009 - 10:03 ET by MadRat 

   

  What surprises me about this video is that Matt Lauer actually asked some tough questions of a Obama administration official.

• Even a leftwing hack like Lauer...

    December 28, 2009 - 10:29 ET by supercon 

   

   was appalled that Ja-No would try and tell us that everything was fine. He obviously has to fly commercial from time to time and now that his own safety is on the line he wants some answers. The woman is a boob.   The question now is how long is Obama going to continue to support her after she made a fool of herself on national television...?      It isn't so much a political thing as it is a fact that other people in other countries probably pay more attention to her statement than the limousine liberals in the American media.    When they see such an incompetent fool in charge of homeland security it emboldens them to take a chance on a terror strike. I guarantee you that alot of people who don't speak english were paying attention to that interview and even they were shaking their heads.  "That's who the Americans put in charge of  security....?   Oh praise Allah"

• Still tried to blame Bush?

    December 28, 2009 - 08:30 ET by jon_torlin 

   

   Must be some fuzzy math going on here, his father tried to contact US officials about it 6 months ago.  Obeyme's usurped power in Jan 2009.  That was 11 months ago. 

   

   Ugh.  She sure is a useful punching bag though, I wonder if she was kinda thrown under the bus? 

   

   -Jon

• BDS

    December 28, 2009 - 08:32 ET by txradioguy 

   

  It's a lot easier to blame Bush than it is to actually take responsibility for things that happen on your watch

• Reno (oops, Napolitano) beclowns herself

    December 28, 2009 - 10:29 ET by motherbelt 

   

   Terrorists around the world are smiling today knowing that the head of the agency charged with keeping them from killing us is "scratching her head" 

   

   And I'm sure they can't believe their good luck that this woman is in charge!  

   

   The head of homeland security is asking herself the same questions we all are....is that supposed to make us feel better?

• I just call her...

    December 28, 2009 - 11:19 ET by Blonde 

   

   Reno Redux or Reno v.2.0

• "Heckuva job, Janny"

    December 28, 2009 - 08:36 ET by jazbo 

   

   Just when I think Obama and his clowns can't do any worse, they prove me wrong again.

• Janet the Clueless has just

    December 28, 2009 - 10:29 ET by celator 

   

   Janet the Clueless has just implemented the new safety alert code (or whatever they call that thing these days). Instead of orange, red etc., it now depends on the day of the week: 

   

   Monday-The system is failing  

   

   Tuesday-The system is working  

   

   Wednesday-The system is failing 

   

   Thursday-The system is working 

   

   Friday-The system is failing 

   

   Saturday-It's up to Raum 

   

   Sunday-Depends on results of "spin the wheel"

• You can bet this is one crisis they wont let go to waste

    December 28, 2009 - 11:02 ET by general company 

   

   More inconvenience for westerners and ease for islamo fascist. Apparently our tactics are not pc enough, but that will soon be corrected

• Who cares, Napolitano, about Bush?

    December 28, 2009 - 08:38 ET by TheHistorian 

   

   You guys have owned this department for 11 months now.  Where are YOUR changes?  Quit blaming Bush.  Just shows that this whole administration has neither gonads nor enough integrity to stand up for their own mistakes.  Rush is right when he calls him the "little boy President".

• A COUPLE OF THINGS...

    December 28, 2009 - 08:48 ET by danybhoy 

   

    I would rather have Steve Wilkos in charge of DHS then Napolitano. Of course, Wilkos was Jerry Springer's security guy on his show. This woman(?) sucks at her job, & nothing will happen to her. Nobody is held to account in the Obama thug-ministration, they get tossed under the bus & then show up at The Center For American Progress.

44 more annotations...

• Obama stays low profile after terror attempt
• By CAROL E. LEE |                         12/27/09
• Americans haven't seen President Barack Obama since a Nigerian man tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane in Detroit on Christmas Day.
• But they have gotten a glimpse of their new president’s style in the face of a crisis.
• Obama, who is expected to publicly address the incident for the first time Monday, has kept mum over the past few days.
• That's his approach in this type of situation, aides say — to seek a fact-based assessment.
• So for the first few days Obama left the public comments to senior members of his administration.

  • Left to those who "might"..."might" know what the hell they're doing..
  Add Sticky Note
• 

   

  President Obama has kept mum in the days since the incident on a Northwest Airlines plane.    Photo: AP
• Behind the scenes, he has held secure teleconference briefings every day with his top national security advisers and officials at federal agencies.
• Based on the information he gleaned from those, he ordered a review of the procedures for screening airline passengers and placing individuals on the government's different terrorist watch lists.
• His press office has regularly released statements about how Obama has been monitoring the situation.
• n Sunday press secretary Robert Gibbs and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano hit the talk shows to announce the review Obama ordered and to be the first to publicly answer questions about the situation.
• “He’ll continue to ask the tough questions and respond appropriately as required,” a White House official said.
• Throughout it all, Obama continued his holiday vacation in Hawaii with a round of golf Saturday and a trip to the beach Sunday.
• Part of the reason for the president's low profile: There appears to be a feeling in the administration that putting him out there to address this type of incident immediately would give it added merit. Elevating the status of a man who attempts, unsuccessfully, an act of terrorism in that way also could set off copycat schemes.
• Readers' Comments (427)
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  skint

  Party: Independent

   

   

    Reply #1 

  Dec. 27, 2009 - 10:43 PM EST

   

   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

  He's waiting for INSTRUCTION'S from>>>> Emanual and he has to get them from >>>>Podesta who gets them from >>>>Soros and company.

  Not hard to figure out.

  Napolitano is still trying to figure out how she's going to tell the American public why she's trying to drop the new...... REAL ID ACT.
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  bob7896

  Party: Independent

   

   

    Reply #2 

  Dec. 27, 2009 - 10:49 PM EST

   

   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

  ""Behind the scenes, he has held secure teleconference briefings every day with his top national security advisers and officials at federal agencies""

  Secure, as opposed to "Insecure??"

  BO will Dither as long as he can before TOTUS makes a statement, like Afghan decision ,and before he addresses the fact that "The System did NOT work" as Janet misstated and Muslims are going to be Terrorists, regardless of who is in the WH and how many BOWS BO makes!
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  bob7896

  Party: Independent

   

   

    Reply #4 

  Dec. 27, 2009 - 10:53 PM EST

   

   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

  WH is still working on how to blame this on Bush!
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  hadenuff55

  Party: Independent

   

   

    Reply #5 

  Dec. 27, 2009 - 10:53 PM EST

   

   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

  They have to tear him away from the golf course first. That'll be a job. He's on vacation, for the third time this year, courtesy of the US taxpayer. I saw Bobby Gibbs on the tube today ............. he literally wants me to throw up in my mouth everytime I see that elongated forehead of his. He was the guy in high school that every jock beat a path to to beat up. Must've affected his brain.

  hussein obama = EPIC FAILURE

  Do you Americans feel safe yet with hussein and J.N. at the helm of Homeland Security?
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  ( REVOLVER )

  Party: Republican

   

   

    Reply #9 

  Dec. 27, 2009 - 11:06 PM EST

   

   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

  Obama is the most politically incorrect POTUS since Carter .

  1 June 2009 , Little Rock , Arkansas ......... Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad

  5 November 2009 , Fort Hood , Texas ........ Nidal Malik Hasan

  25 December 2009 , Detroit , Michigan ...... Umal Farouk Abdulmitallab
  ______________________________________________________________

  Our blunderful Mr. Obama does not want you to think of these men as

  psycho radical Islamic Jihadist killers attacking America under his watch .

  What are you thinking about Obama ?
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  Janice Gammill

  Party: N/A

   

   

    Reply #10 

  Dec. 27, 2009 - 11:11 PM EST

   

   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

  Americans are tired of the BS! This is not the first time potus has hid away until someone told him what o say! Where is the charge of terrorism and why is this a criminal matter? How many attacks have we had on his watch? Only by the grace of God and the passengers did this turn out well! He should be impeached.
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  SUE IN FLORIDA

  Party: N/A

   

   

    Reply #15 

  Dec. 27, 2009 - 11:32 PM EST

   

   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

  Sorry America! The little boy man Obama is waiting for instruction about what he should say about a terror attack. I mean, gees, the Fort Hood terrorist attack that killed our soldiers was not a terrorist attack according to Napolitano and Obama. According to them - it was a man made something or other. What do you expect from these two failures? Obama runs around the world bowing to anyone who will laugh at the fool, and Napolitano is worried about Vets who fought for our Country that may not like the Obama administration. We're getting rid of all of you in 2010.
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  Frank in Midland

  Party: Conservative

   

   

    Reply #20 

  Dec. 27, 2009 - 11:46 PM EST

   

   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

  Homeland Security Secretary janet napolitano is busy keeping us safe from people that wave American flags, read Bibles and served in the US Armed Forces. She and obama don't have time to worry about muslims whose fathers have tried to alert them about radicals!

  Impeach obama and fire the entire cabinet including the "czars"

22 more annotations...

• Memphis man out on $100 bail after threatening jihad in Memphis; Update: $50,000 bail now
• December 28, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
• Let’s play a little game of You’re The Judge.
• Police arrest a man who has told seven Memphis businesses that he would “blow [them] to pieces” if they didn’t close. 
• When police pulled him over, they discover three cassettes with Islamic instruction on them,
• and discover that the suspect, Mohamed Ibrahim, has been telling people that he wants to conduct jihad in Memphis. 
• When they arrest him, he kicks out the window of the police cruiser and has to be subdued with pepper spray.
• Ibrahim is charged with commission of an act of terrorism, filing false reports, and disorderly conduct.  Would you release him on $100 bond?

• Tonight, Mohamed Ibrahim is out after posting $100 bond. Earlier in the day, he was arrested after police say he walked into several Memphis businesses and threatened to blow them up.

   

  Court records show Ibrahim was also telling people he was Muslim, and wanted to start a jihad, or holy war, in Memphis.

   

  Police say when they arrested him, he had a butcher knife hidden in one of his jacket sleeves.
• As I recall, any blade over a few inches becomes illegal to conceal.  Unless this is the world’s smallest “butcher knife,” a CCW charge should have been added to the list.
• Why wasn’t he charged with carrying a concealed weapon? 
• For that matter, where’s the resisting arrest charge?  Damage to public property?
• seven businesses now have to hire security that they probably can’t afford in case Ibrahim isn’t impressed enough with the American legal system to suspend his jihad. 
• The police certainly did their part, but they can’t just station themselves at all of these businesses for the foreseeable future.  The alleged extortion may work just out of fear — which is exactly what terrorists intend.
• Ibrahim’s actions should have raised a number of red flags to a judge, who had a wide range of options at his or her disposal.
• Update: Either the original reporting was incorrect or the bail got increased in Ibrahim’s court appearance this morning.  According to Shelby County courthouse website, the bail is now at $50,000 (case number 09148795).  He has a court date of January 11th.  Thanks to Robert A for the information.
• Update II: I’ve left a message with the county DA’s office to clarify whether the two press reports were wrong, or whether the judge changed the bail today at the arraignment.  I’m guessing that it’s the latter, but will update the post when I find out.
• Comments

• At least they didn’t let Chris Rock out on personal recognizance.

   

  singer on December 28, 2009 at 12:37 PM

• mmm mmm mmm
   Barack Hussein Obama

   

  chicagotrauma on December 28, 2009 at 12:39 PM

• The resemblance is uncanny. Methinks a cousin from Kenya. Now somewhere in Kenya, a village is missing TWO idiots.

   

  adamsmith on December 28, 2009 at 12:40 PM

• He is not released. FBI looking into case. Here’s the Shelby Court update:

   

  General Sessions and Criminal Court Case Information :
   Enter case booking number 09148795 and charge group 01:

   

  Currently Ibrahim Mohamed is in Jail On Booking # 09148795
   Division 09 Session 9:00 a.m.
   Court Date 01/11/2010

   

  Sequence #001 Commission Act of Terrorism/Class F A / not disposed

   

  Sequence #002 False Offense Report/ Class F D / not disposed

   

  Sequence #003 Disorderly Conduct / Class M C / not disposed

   

  heroyalwhyness on December 28, 2009 at 12:41 PM

• Ed, why didn’t you print the judge’s name?

   

  In NYC judge Bruce Wright was re-elected term after term until the tabloids began reporting on him. He was “Turn-em loose Bruce” who released on their own recognizance persons who were arrested for committing crimes while released on bail–or on their own recognizance.

   

  Sunlight–or in this case, a spotlight–holds public officials to scrutiny, and keeps them honest. Or at least responsible.

   

  njcommuter on December 28, 2009 at 12:50 PM

• Sounds like one of those violent Lutherans again.

   

  cs89 on December 28, 2009 at 11:52 AM

   

  Close but I think its more likely he’s part of those Radical Christians that are far more dangerous then fascist Islamic jihadists!

   

  Liberty or Death on December 28, 2009 at 1:02 PM

• The more I think about this $100, the more astonished I am. The cop car door window is probably $200 all by itself. The judge is obviously insane.

   

  Jaibones on December 28, 2009 at 1:03 PM

• Wow. If I were on the JIHAD…I would be feeling pretty fantastic right now about my chances to TAKE DOWN AMERICA.

   

  WTF is going on?

   

  bridgetown on December 28, 2009 at 1:06 PM

• He hasn’t been released. Bond is set at $50,000, not $100. His court date is 1/11/09. This is easily confirmed through the court’s website:

   

  http://jssi.shelbycountytn.gov/

   

  Booking # 09148795 Charge Group 01 RNI # 404741 Sex M Race B DOB 06/01/1974
   Name
   IBRAHIM MOHAMED EISSA ISHA
    Address
   210 WEST REDOAK DR. 3 , MEMPHIS TN 381120000
   Arresting Agency MP Officer MPD TRANSFER OFFICER Arrest Date/Time 12/25/2009 00:00
   Releasable N In Jail On Booking # 09148795 Active Bench Warrant
   Warrant # Issue Date Status Status Date Assigned Court GS
   Division 09 Session 9:00 a.m. Court Date 01/11/2010 For ATTORNEY Total Resets 02
   Case Disposed N Bond Code Bond Set 50000.00 Bond Paid .00

   

  blueguitarbob on December 28, 2009 at 1:30 PM

25 more annotations...

• Ron Paul blames U.S. for violence
• Congressman: 'They're terrorists because we're occupiers'
• Posted: December 30, 2009
  11:35 pm Eastern
  
    <!--- copywrite only show on NON commentary pages as per joseph meeting 8/23/06 ------>   <!-- copyright --> © 2009 WorldNetDaily 
• A prominent member of Congress with libertarian ideals is blaming terrorism on the U.S. presence around the globe.
• "They're terrorists because we're occupiers," Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, said on the Larry King show:
• Paul, whose isolationist perspective garnered him the support in 2008 of  Howard Stern, also is known for his independent streak as well as his efforts to abolish the Federal Reserve.
• Paul was joined on the King show by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, a Democrat from Texas, as well as conservative author and personality Ben Stein.
• They were discussing President Obama's concern as he addressed the nation several days after an alleged terrorist reportedly tried to blow up a passenger jet en route from Amsterdam to Detroit.

• Stein said the war on terror needs to be addressed.  

   

      

  U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas

   

  "Let's get to work on it like we mean it," he said.  
• Lee advocated having Congress address the issue, and called for "viable behavioral assessment" of suspects.

• Paul added that the one factor that is missing is a question about the motive.  

  "We bombed Yemen 2 weeks ago," he said. "He (the suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab) did it because of the bombing."  
• Reports confirm that there was an air strike by Yemeni jets – and possibly some from Saudi Arabia – on a remote region of Yemen where al-Qaida operatives reportedly were staying, killing as many as 30, just before Christmas.
• However, reports also say Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian who apparently had trained in Yemen, apparently already had made his plans and purchased airline tickets by then.
• A blogger at HotAir.com wanted to make two points.
• "First, and most obviously, there is no U.S. occupation of Yemen or Nigeria. The only way the airline plot is a reaction to U.S. 'occupation' is if you accept the jihadist premise that there are no Arab/Muslim nation-states but rather only one Islamic caliphate waiting to be born."
• "Second, as usual, his facts are wrong," the writer continued. "He uncritically accepts Abdulmutallab's assertion that the bomb plot was retaliation for the U.S. airstrike on jihadi camps in Yemen. No so … this [suspect] had already been mobilized and had even bought his Northwest ticket before we struck."
• ABC's Jake Tapper had raised the same issue, citing claims by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula of credit for the attack – and statements it was in retaliation for the Dec. 17 strike
• "In their words, 'The oneness of our belief and brotherhood in Islam is what protected our young Nigerian man, the mujahid brother Omar Farouq to directly respond to his oppressive American enemy's attack on the Arab Peninsula,'" Tapper wrote.

• But officials noted the suspect was in the field long before the strike, and in fact, purchased his plane ticket in Ghana the day before, Tapper wrote, quoting a U.S. "official:"  

  "He had been deployed before December 17. They'd like to make this seem like retaliation, but the reason they tried to blow up the plane is because they have a hateful, murderous agenda."  
• Paul's offices in Washington and Texas could not be reached today for comment on the statement.
• But on the video his comments appear to be clear. He asks about the motivation for such attacks. "Why do they hate us?" he says.

• Stein said the U.S. should be taking measures to defend itself. "They're terrorists and murderers."  

  "The why. Why," Paul continues. "They're terrorists because we're occupiers."  

  Stein responds with, "They're psychos. We're not occupiers."  
• Paul's longstanding efforts to audit – and even eliminate – the secretive Federal Reserve finally started getting traction this year, gaining support from a majority of House members.

22 more annotations...