January 5, 2010
Exclusive: The ‘System’ Failed – Why?
Presidential Policy: Does It Make the Grade?, James Carafano, PhD
The last week of last year may have been the administration’s worst. The first days of the New Year didn’t look much better. After the attempted Christmas Day Detroit-bound bombing, one White House official allegedly declared “we’re going to get hammered on this.” They were right.
The administration failed on two counts. First, failing to connect the dots and stop the plot before it got started – second, for its inept response in the incident’s aftermath.
For starters, the President made a pitiful attempt to shift blame away from the White House. On New Year’s Eve, the White House received the preliminary assessment from federal agencies detailing the shortfalls of a terrorist bomber got on a plane bound for Detroit. The president admitted the government had more than enough information to justify keeping Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab off the aircraft. Obama concluded the system failed.
Here is what the president did not explain: This is the same system that stopped the London-based terrorist plot in 2006. On that occasion, intelligence connected the dots; counterterrorism agents penetrated the conspiracy; Homeland Security developed countermeasures; and with international partners the U.S. took down the terrorists before any bomber got near a plane.
Obama had the same system at his disposal as the last president. One built between 2002 and 2008 in the aftermath of the first wave of terrorist attacks – 9/11; the anthrax letters; and Richard Reid, the shoe bomber. A system that President Bush drove day-in and day-out, 24-7-365, to find and stop terrorist threats before they got off the ground. That’s why the 2006 plot and 26 other plots since 9/11 (21 under the Bush presidency) were found out and stopped. What Obama did not explain is how it worked for the last president, but failed for him.
Systems will never be perfect. The enemy keeps changing its tactics – innovating, improvising, adopting. There will also always be gaps, miscues, and mistakes. That’s the nature of how government works. There is no better antidote for these problems than leadership from the top.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., is a leading expert in defense affaires, intelligence, military operations and strategy, and homeland security at the Heritage Foundation.
Reader Comments: Submit Your Comment (1)
Agree no system is 100% "FOOLPROOF" and, that's the big problem we're now having with this out of control and most secretive government.
Logically speaking, and make no mistake about it. That anti-God attitude we call "Political Correctness" became the deciding factor long before that gangster Obama took office. Therefore, by foolishly adopt this twisted philosophy,we crippled our own ability to protect ourselves from those who wish to destroy us.
Now whether the "sheeple" appose or approve of this insane criminal appeasement attitude that now dictates our actions here and overseas is "irrelevant."
By definition "A return to childish complacency in all national security matters will open the door wide for another 911. This liberal orchestrated and most twisted set of "alien morals"? that you cannot profile a suspicious looking character because it may "offend Islam" shows just how vulnerable we really are. If he looks and acts like a terrorist, chances are he probably is" It was this twisted set of rules that without the flying Dutchman intervening at a very crucial moment,
would have brought down that jet killing everyone aboard it.
The system failed miserably because those who run that system are now hopelessly and spiritually flawed.
Now if we wanted to play the blame game here we need to look no further than these incompetent Obama recommended government stooges that seem to be running the whole misguided show now.
I'll finish this short comment with my own personal impression of this ungodly, Lawless criminally ran administration of highly paid liars.
Blind men leading the blind through a "clearly marked" minefield...
posted by : Paul West
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 10:19 AM
