Louisville Courier Journal Editorial: A Security Fumble.
A security fumble
Some defenders of President Obama have reacted to outrageous efforts by Republicans to exploit politically the Christmas Day bombing attempt on an airliner nearing Detroit by countering that the intelligence and security systems that failed were put in place by the Bush administration.
That's true, but it is irrelevant. The President is in charge of defending the nation, and it's his job either to ensure that the process works or to fix it if it is broken.
In that context, it was heartening to hear Mr. Obama take personal responsibility Thursday for the near disaster, insist that the national intelligence complex perform better and promise effective remedial steps. Americans of all political stripes should hope he makes good on those pledges.
Nonetheless, the administration report on the failed bombing that prompted the angry President's remarks was profoundly disconcerting. It is tempting to ask if the government has learned — or done — much of anything more than eight years after the 9/11 attacks. The answer, of course, is that much has been done in collecting and analyzing intelligence, but the gaping holes in formulating quick, effective responses are still appalling.
In the case of the alleged Nigerian terrorist on the Detroit-bound plane, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, his father had warned the American Embassy in Nigeria that his son had been radicalized by Islamists and had traveled to Yemen. The father, a respected former banker, even met with a CIA official. Other American intelligence sources learned that al-Qaida operatives in Yemen were readying a plot — involving a Nigerian man — against the United States. The British had refused last spring to renew Mr. Abdulmutallab's visa and had placed him on a watch list.
Yet, that was not enough to get Mr. Abdulmutallab placed on a “no fly” list or a list for extensive screening or to revoke his American visa. He didn't even trip alarms when he paid cash for his airline ticket and boarded without checking luggage.
Clearly, as the President recognized, the anti-terror effort continues to be haunted by familiar problems: dispersal rather than concentration of terrorism-related databases; lack of a clear chain of command; slowness in distributing information; inefficiency in updating and sharing “no-fly” and watch lists; making certain that airport and baggage screening changes as nimbly as the threats themselves do.
The challenge, it seems, is three-fold. One is to make up for lost time by closing such gaps rapidly. A second is to realize that American security weaknesses are now revealed to al-Qaida and its ilk, and to anticipate ways in which terrorists might try to exploit them. Finally, no matter the importance of domestic needs, including health care reform and jobs creation, providing national security must be any president's most urgent duty.
Mr. Obama seemed Thursday to understand that. But in this case, the devil will lie not only in the details, but also in the need for relentless focus and attention to detail in following through.
Some defenders of President Obama have reacted to outrageous efforts by Republicans to exploit politically the Christmas Day bombing attempt on an airliner nearing Detroit by countering that the intelligence and security systems that failed were put in place by the Bush administration.
That's true, but it is irrelevant. The President is in charge of defending the nation, and it's his job either to ensure that the process works or to fix it if it is broken.
In that context, it was heartening to hear Mr. Obama take personal responsibility Thursday for the near disaster, insist that the national intelligence complex perform better and promise effective remedial steps. Americans of all political stripes should hope he makes good on those pledges.
Nonetheless, the administration report on the failed bombing that prompted the angry President's remarks was profoundly disconcerting. It is tempting to ask if the government has learned — or done — much of anything more than eight years after the 9/11 attacks. The answer, of course, is that much has been done in collecting and analyzing intelligence, but the gaping holes in formulating quick, effective responses are still appalling.
In the case of the alleged Nigerian terrorist on the Detroit-bound plane, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, his father had warned the American Embassy in Nigeria that his son had been radicalized by Islamists and had traveled to Yemen. The father, a respected former banker, even met with a CIA official. Other American intelligence sources learned that al-Qaida operatives in Yemen were readying a plot — involving a Nigerian man — against the United States. The British had refused last spring to renew Mr. Abdulmutallab's visa and had placed him on a watch list.
Yet, that was not enough to get Mr. Abdulmutallab placed on a “no fly” list or a list for extensive screening or to revoke his American visa. He didn't even trip alarms when he paid cash for his airline ticket and boarded without checking luggage.
Clearly, as the President recognized, the anti-terror effort continues to be haunted by familiar problems: dispersal rather than concentration of terrorism-related databases; lack of a clear chain of command; slowness in distributing information; inefficiency in updating and sharing “no-fly” and watch lists; making certain that airport and baggage screening changes as nimbly as the threats themselves do.
The challenge, it seems, is three-fold. One is to make up for lost time by closing such gaps rapidly. A second is to realize that American security weaknesses are now revealed to al-Qaida and its ilk, and to anticipate ways in which terrorists might try to exploit them. Finally, no matter the importance of domestic needs, including health care reform and jobs creation, providing national security must be any president's most urgent duty.
Mr. Obama seemed Thursday to understand that. But in this case, the devil will lie not only in the details, but also in the need for relentless focus and attention to detail in following through.
Labels: News reporting
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 4:01 PM
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