Napolitano: You Know, The More I Think About It, Maybe Letting an Al Qaeda Terrorist Aboard a Plane With Powerful Explosives That Only Failed Due to a Balky Detonator Represents Some Kind of Failure in the System After All

Janet "man-caused disasters" Napolitano: Splitting atoms... with her mind.

WASHINGTON – Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano conceded Monday that the aviation security system failed when a young man on a watchlist with a U.S. visa in his pocket and a powerful explosive hidden on his body was allowed to board a fight from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Napolitano then went on to announce a "comprehensive full-spectrum White Paper analysis" on the divisive, pressing issue of "What Color is an Orange?"

But you'll be happy to know that the State Department is on the case.

The State Department had two chances to deny this Al Qaeda terrorist a visa. It passed on both opportunities.

According to a law enforcement source, the first failure came on Nov. 19, 2009, the very same day Abdulmutallab father’s, Dr. Umaru Mutallab, a prominent banking official in Nigeria, expressed deep concern to officials at the U.S. Embassy in Abjua, Nigeria, that his 23-year-old son had fallen under the influence of “religious extremists” in Yemen.

The second failure to flag an active visa belonging to Abdulmuttalab occurred the very next day in Washington, after Mutallab’s concerns were forwarded to officials there. It was only after the Christmas Day terror attack in Detroit that U.S. officials learned that Abdulmuttalab had been issued a visa by the U.S. Embassy in London valid from June 16, 2008, through June 12, 2010.

This is the Major Hassan problem all over again. What is the real rule for handling potential terrorists? Is it "act aggressively and decisively to protect American citizens, and worry about the consequences of being wrong later?"

No. That is the horseshit they tell you is the real rule for PR purposes. The real rule is Make no waves; make sure no one can ever accuse you of anti-Muslim bias; it's better to have 100 people die in a plane detonation than for one innocent (well, not that innocent, either) man get his friggin' visa application revoked."

And just for fun, Abdulmutallab wants you to know that "more like me" are coming.

This is a dreadful circumstance. Al Qaeda has long had a fascination with big, spectacular, blow-your-mind attacks. The trouble is, they're really difficult to pull off.

What many have been worrying about -- me among them -- is the day they figure out that big spectacular attacks are too difficult, and it's far easier to just do a series of small attacks. Blowing up one plane. Walking into one mall and opening fire.

Napolitano had better realize that she can't rely on terrorist incompetence to save us forever or else her own gross incompetence will soon have a bodycount starting in the dozens and perhaps even the hundreds.

posted by Ace at 03:20 PM

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