Connecting the Dots by Ira Schwartz
Well the speech that was supposed to shock us is over and in the books. Now those in the news industry that are supposed to know have begun the dissection. However, I for one was not shocked or impressed except for our Presidents use of several familiar clichés scattered throughout the 12 minute speech.
Let’s see; “connect the dots” was used three times, “no stone unturned” and the “buck stops here” twice. Not a record for a Presidential speech but pretty good for a 12 minute expose. Well let’s just “connect the dots” and see where they lead.
Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano, in her remarks after the President’s speech, basically blamed the whole breech in security on the Europeans. In that respect she is partially correct. Abdulmutallab was able to move through several overseas airports without drawing anyone’s attention. He went through metal detectors, was patted down and had his luggage checked with nothing unusual being found. Now the CIA is saying that the report sent to our embassy in Nigeria by Abdulmutallab’s father made no mention of his concern that his son was a terrorist. Just that he was missing and he feared his son had fallen under the spell of Islamic extremists. No red flags there right. So when the report was forwarded to the CIA it was no wonder it sat on an administrator’s desk for 6 weeks. I guess we really didn’t learn much from the terrorist attack at Ft. Hood.
President Obama said “I have ordered the intelligence community to assign specific responsibility for investigating all leads on high-priority terrorist threats, distribute intelligence reports more rapidly and widely, do a better job of integrating available intelligence and improve criteria for adding people to a "no-fly" list.”
Now tell me if I’m wrong but weren’t we supposed to have done that after the Ft. Hood shooting? And is the President saying that no one in our security community was in charge of investigating these “leads”. If no one was in charge, then my question is “Why not”. How can you not have any one in charge of coordinating information that can potentially have life and death ramifications on people’s lives? If it hadn’t been for the sheer stupidity of Abdulmutallab, 300 lives would have been lost over Detroit, not to mention how many on the ground in Detroit.
As far as the President “stepping up” and “taking the blame”…..he’s just stating the obvious. Of course he’s to blame, he is the President of the United States, a position I don’t think he was prepared to accept or really understands. And he is “not” firing anyone. I can think of two people I would send packing immediately; Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan and Homeland Security Head Janet Napolitano.
So what does this all mean for you and me when we fly? Airline officials say get to the airport at least 2 hours before your boarding time. Be prepared for your luggage to be thoroughly searched and for you to have a full body pat down. Once flying you will not be able to leave your seat or have anything in your lap for the last hour of your flight. I guess there will be a lot of leg crossing for those of us who fail to make it to the bathroom before the dreaded deadline. Full body scanners are also in our future. So I suggest some of us start hitting the gym at least 6 weeks before we plan to fly. Truth be told these inconveniences to us are actually real obstacles to a terrorist. So I guess we’ll need to just grin and “bare” it for now, the alternative is unacceptable.
Below is a link to the report by our security community on the December 25th attempted bombing. It’s an interesting read.
© 2009 by Ira Schwartz. Used with Permission. All rights reserved.
Labels: Barack Obama, Ira Schwartz, Janet Napolitano, National Security
posted by Frank T. DeMartini @ 4:18 PM
2 Comments:
A view of the future.
“The President of Iran is a believer in the apocalyptic end times as stated in the Koran. He sees it as his personal mission to hasten the return of the twelfth Imam, known as the Mahdi, the rightful descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. It’s written that his return will be preceded by the confrontation between the forces of good and evil that will see a period of prolonged warfare, political upheaval, and bloodshed. At the end of the period, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace. First, though, he has to destroy Israel.”
Back to reality.
America should adopt the belief that in our war with terrorism we have a secret weapon – no alternative. We don’t thrive on military acts. We do them because we have to, and thank God we are efficient. (Modified quote from Golda Meir)
Conservatisms must have as several of their implacable tenants a belief that government must be limited; spending reduced drastically, credit restrained and the pain of slow growth endured.
Any and every system has its Achilles heels. The antithesis of an action plan is failure now and then. To discard the stratagem at this point is fatal. To believe, adjust, refine and finesse is often historical victory. Conservatives can do “anything” but only if they don’t quit.
Conservatism is a grass roots movement, always will be. It rises up when history demands. These movements make their own signs, plaster their message on public bill boards, write books, and give handouts to any one who will take them. Their fingers are bitten off by the opposition. They are brutalized while selling American flags.
The “copy write” of these blogs should be discontinued. Imagine if “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” had been smothered by a copy right. This message is not about the authors, it about conservatism. Do not erect self serving obstacle to the free and open dissemination of the message. Encourage, in any and everyway, the proliferation of this belief.
Where, if anywhere, within these blogs, do we hear the battle cry of conservatism, the integrity of values, the courage of convictions, acting in the absence of support, waging a losing battle often but never conceding defeat, without accolades and a friendly environment? We have forgotten the heroes’ motto, “We never retreat, we only advance to the rear.” Where is the support for the 9/12 project? I concede it exists but needs passion and focus.
Both parties are equal offenders. In the march toward a more perfect union, we have settled on the worst characteristics an engage political culture can single out. We wait for the opposition to falter, an opportunity to maximize a historical misstep or blunder, dare we embrace the slogan of the opposition ‘A crisis is too important to waste”, to fail, or to antagonize, then attack.
How pedestrian of idealist’s. This is a parenthetical “Do not get bewildered in the confusion of the party that just says “No” or “Stop”. Get out in front with what we stand for and why. Carry the conflict to the opposition’s strength, the rest will be history. Beware, this strategy is time tested and works for true believers. Are we true believers?
Stop cheering for just a moment. Get out of the bleachers and down onto the field. One must be in the game to experience the joy of victory and the agony of defeat. In the minutia of explanation, excuses and Mea Culpas everyone who has worked in a bureaucracy that where the leadership does not want, encourage or accept bad news knows that the less courageous will flinch, hesitate or kill the messenger and priorities will morph into a disaster as we are seeing. The essence of leadership is a winning performance.
“If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? But if I am for myself only then what am I? And if not now, when?” This was the motto of Golda Meir, a person who in death struggles to restore the Nobel Peace Prize to its untarnished intent, reverence and noble purpose.
Well spoken Ira. It all points to a lack of presidential leadership which unfortunately is having an adverse affect on national security. Obama is increasingly becoming more of an empty suit. The presidency is the pinnacle of a politician's career, but instead of climbing the mountain, it looks like Obama was simply helicoptered in.
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