As a follow-up on my article Napolitano, David Broder and Dangerous Underwear, Janet Napolitano continues to show, she simply has no grasp of Intelligence and/or how to protect American citizens from terrorism. Napolitano answered questions with John Brennen, President Obama's to counter terrorism advisor (if you don't remember John Brennan, he was the person who said there was no “smoking gun”, that would have alerted the TSA that the Underwear Bomber should not have been allowed to board an airliner to the US). When Brennen, was asked the following question, he deferred to Homeland Security Head, Janet Napolitano.
Question: What was the most shocking, stunning thing that you found out of the review? And, Secretary, to you, as well.
SECRETARY NAPOLITANO: I think, following up on that, not just the determination of al Qaeda and al Qaeda Arabian Peninsula, but the tactic of using an individual to foment an attack, as opposed to a large conspiracy or a multi-person conspiracy such as we saw in 9/11, that is something that affects intelligence. It really emphasizes now the renewed importance on how different intelligence is integrated and analyzed, and threat streams are followed through. And, again, it will impact how we continue to review the need to improve airport security around the world.
What! Let me get this straight, these are the folks who flew two airplanes into the Twin Towers in New York, and have continued to blow themselves up for their cause; but Secretary Napolitano is “surprised” by their determination. So apparently, the fact that al Queda continues to attack their enemies with suicide bombers, is not enough for the head of Homeland Security to get the idea in her head that al Queda is a very determined group of terrorists and that their primary means of attacking the west, is the use of individuals that blow themselves up. This is beyond incompetence; we have now moved to the arena of negligent retention. Even in public service, where many employees are protected from liability, the administration still has to answer for negligent retention. If this continues, Americans will die; and they will die because of Janet Napolitano. I do not blame Janet Napolitano for the Underwear bomber; this I blame on President Obama for his past reluctance to use his office to truly commit the United States to a war on Islamo-fascist terrorists.
Besides the negligent retention of Janet, Napolitano, President Obama's speech was remarkable. He finally defined al Queda as an enemy of the United States and they are terrorists, not just the creators of “man-made” disasters. Perhaps National Security Advisors James Jones prediction there would be "shock" and awe in the Presidents report, was the President not blaming George Bush, or that he finally admitting that there is a Global war on terrorism. However, the big shock to me was the following;
“First, I'm directing that our intelligence community immediately begin assigning specific responsibility for investigating all leads on high-priority threats so that these leads are pursued and acted upon aggressively -- not just most of the time, but all of the time. We must follow the leads that we get. And we must pursue them until plots are disrupted. And that mean assigning clear lines of responsibility”.
This statement sounds very similar to following statement:
“The security environment confronting the United States today is radically different from what we have faced before. Yet the first duty of the United States Government remains what it always has been: to protect the American people and American interests. It is an enduring American principle that this duty obligates the government to anticipate and counter threats, using all elements of national power, before the threats can do grave damage. The greater the threat, the greater is the risk of inaction – and the more compelling the case for taking anticipatory action to defend ourselves, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy’s attack.”
If the later quote sounds familiar, it is because it is a preamble to the Bush Doctrine. If we are truly going to be hunting down terrorists then we first need strong leadership to protect us here at home. If President Obama is serious, then he will remove Napolitano and replace her with a Homeland Security Secretary that is not in need of on the job training. We as Americans deserve better than this.
