The Real "Man-Made Disaster": Napolitano and Brennan via Obama

What kind of experience do you want as your head of Homeland Security during our War on Terror? Oh, excuse me, I forgot it's now "Overseas Contigency Operation".

Janet Napolitano does have government experience as former gov of AZ and previous Attorney General. But don't you think someone with a background in Intelligence might be better suited? Yes, she was involved in the OK bombing incident--after the fact-- but most of her work involved consumer protection and overall law enforcement. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy about her capabilities.

I doubt the fact that she endorsed Obama early 2008, and was then named to his transition team had anything to do with the appointment, you know, as the person in charge of keeping America safe from terrorists?

Napolitano avoids using the word terrorism, preferring to call them "man-made disasters". Kinda like Obama never utters "Islamic radicals" or "extremists", or re-naming the war the "Overseas Contingency Operations". Maybe if we don't call them scary names, they will all go away?

Alongside Napolitano, we have John Brennan, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. Brennan has considerable intelligence experience, and was once considered for the head of the CIA. Of course, he too was on the Obama transition team.

In yesterday's mea culpa about the Panty Bomber on Christmas Day, he admits that he needs to do better. You mean he didn't bring his "A" game to the task already?

Detroit Customs, during it's pre-arrival checklist, found the terrorist on a watch list and was prepared to do heavier screening when the plane landed. Too bad it never crossed their mind to notify the pilot that a potential terrorist was on the plane so that they could keep a better eye on him. It is Brennan's job to oversee plans to protect the US from terrorism.

So despite Brennan's experience, and closing in on a decade since 9-11, while under his watch, he didn't notice that the agencies weren't communicating effectively amongst themselves?

So instead of both parties losing their jobs for the "systemic failure" as would have happened in the real world outside of the Washington, they will no doubt be able to do a better job "if only they have more money and more power". Definitely. Let's reward the incompetent.

Seems to me that the only "man-made disaster" in this close call was Obama's appointments of these two.

Somali Ass-lym Policy

I read in today's paper how a Somali man, with possible ties to al-Qaeda, broke into the home of the Danish cartoonist who drew Muhammad with a bomb exploding out of his turban. The jihadist was armed with an ax and knife, and was fortunately shot by police before he had the opportunity to use them.

Three pages later, I read about a large influx of Somalis trying to circumvent traditional immigration channels by traveling to Mexico and taking a cab to the US border agents in San Diego, and then asking for political asylum.

According to Mark Hetfield, senior VP for the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, "The US has closed most of the doors for Somalis to come in through the refugee program, so they've found alternative ways to get in. This is their new route." Somalis made up the largest percentage of people asking for asylum in the US for 2009.

The article's subject claimed Islamic militants threatened him. However, he could offer no one to corroborate his testimony, not even via email to friends and family in Somalia.

The terrorist group, al-Shabab, linked with al-Qaeda, and other militant groups now control most of Somalia outside of Mogasishu.

So despite the fact that we know nothing about this man, and he comes from a country where many people want to destroy the US, the judge ruled, with only the man's testimony, that he could move to the US.

I feel for people who are suffering just like everyone else, but for Pete's sake, could the government PLEASE use some common sense? Gee, do ya think the bad guys might lie to the nice judge?

I smell a Detroit airplane incident brewing. And then Mr. O will order a full investigation in the tragic breakdown in our Homeland Security system. Again.

Update on 1-4-10: On yesterday's CNN's "State of the Union", Obama's lead counterterrorism advisor John Brennan said there was no smoking gun that would indicate that we should have prevented Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to board a plane destined to the US. If they couldn't see a smoking gun, I'd like to know what they were smoking.