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White House Rushes to Fix Security, Intelligence Flaws
Wall Street Journal ^ | December 31, 2009 | Elizabeth Williamson and Siobhan Gorman

Posted on 01/01/2010 4:29:16 AM PST by reaganaut1

The Obama administration is scurrying to implement new procedures to find and keep potential terrorists off U.S.-bound planes, as results of a preliminary intelligence review flow into the White House.

Emerging as a central focus are deficiencies in the U.S.'s network of watch lists, a system designed after the Sept. 11 attacks to keep tabs on potential terrorists and prevent them from boarding planes, according to a senior U.S. counterterrorism official. The official noted that government audits turned up problems in recent years, including gaps that kept suspected terrorists from being added to the U.S.'s no-fly list.

President Barack Obama earlier this week ordered the review into intelligence failures leading up to the Dec. 25 attempted bombing of a U.S.-bound jet, which he characterized as a "systemic failure" of counter-terrorism intelligence. The final results, expected Thursday, likely won't be complete until early New Year's Day, amid a growing furor in Congress and by the public for answers into what went wrong.

On Tuesday the president ordered half a dozen agencies to report on the series of breakdowns that allowed alleged bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to board a flight to Detroit with a bomb concealed on his body.

In the months leading up to the attacks, various agencies received tips that combined could have led intelligence officials to look more closely at Mr. Abdulmutallab. Key among them were warnings from his father about his extremist views, which were communicated to a roster of federal agencies, and communications from Al Qaeda leaders intercepted by the National Security Agency that a Nigerian was prepared for an attack.

Intelligence officials say the pieces of information, which weren't properly shared or analyzed, appear significant largely in hindsight. That said, the U.S. has spent billions of dollars since the 9/11 attacks building intelligence capabilities

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 911forgotten; americainperil; bho44; bho4terrorists; bhogwot; clownsincharge; enemydomestic; enemyinside; fauxconcern; flight253; foo; islaminside; obama4terrorists; pretendconcern; soa
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They can do lots of audits and write lots of reports, but until they face the reality that being Muslim man, especially a young one, is a risk factor, they will not improve security. Besides the red flag of Abdulmutallab's own father warning of his extremism, there was his buying a one-way ticket with cash. There's some controversy over whether he had a passport.

Going beyond the question of aviation security, there is the broader question of why America should let any more Muslims in the country. The country did fine without them for many years.

Barack Hussein Obama won't raise these questions. Will any Republicans?

1 posted on 01/01/2010 4:29:18 AM PST by reaganaut1
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To: reaganaut1

Where is Hillary Clinton? I thought she was in charge of the State Department .... I haven’t seen her name mentioned once since December 25.


2 posted on 01/01/2010 4:31:46 AM PST by Ken522
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To: reaganaut1

3 posted on 01/01/2010 4:33:32 AM PST by Diogenesis ("Those who go below the surface do so at their peril" - Oscar Wilde)
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To: reaganaut1
The Obama administration is scurrying to implement new procedures to find and keep potential terrorists off U.S.-bound planes...


4 posted on 01/01/2010 4:34:03 AM PST by rickmichaels
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To: rickmichaels

5 posted on 01/01/2010 4:38:12 AM PST by Diogenesis ("Those who go below the surface do so at their peril" - Oscar Wilde)
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To: reaganaut1
Going beyond the question of aviation security, there is the broader question of why America should let any more Muslims in the country.

Brace yourself. I'll bet we're going to see that this new "immigration bill," as yet undefined, will have new provisions to admit huge numbers of Muslims or people from Muslim countries who could probably be assumed to be Muslim.

This is one of the reasons that I wish we had been able to work on Bush's immigration bill, seriously flawed though it may have been, and improve it - rather than leaving the door open for something far worse when the Dems got not only the legislature but the presidency.

And I wasn't even considering the possibility that we might have a crypto-Muslim President! Who could have imagined that? I think it will be one of Obama's big objectives to fill this country up with as many Muslims as possible.

6 posted on 01/01/2010 4:40:58 AM PST by livius
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To: rickmichaels

Perfect! Is it not true one has to understand the problem before having any idea of how to fix it? This bunch of clowns in Our House never got through fingerpainting as evidenced by the idiot WH spokesman inferring that Cheney was not verbally attacking the terrorist but instead going for political points.

Hey asshat, it was because you dolts were not accosting him with every measure that Cheney was calling you out, idiot!


7 posted on 01/01/2010 4:42:16 AM PST by mazda77 (Rubio for US Senate - West FL22nd - Dockery for Gov.)
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To: reaganaut1
The only flaw is that US has a president that doesn't believe we're at war with terrorist and won't call them terrorist. He believes giving them cable tv and talking nice to them will get information instead of waterboarding their sorry asses. He thinks closing GITMO will make the terrorist suddenly love us. He thinks sending them back to Yemen with a “new understanding” will make them want to quit killing people.
8 posted on 01/01/2010 4:42:58 AM PST by tobyhill
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To: reaganaut1

Until they assume the core american founding judeo-christian values and civilization ,they will not improve security...Think it will never happen with that bunch of die-hard libtards!


9 posted on 01/01/2010 4:47:33 AM PST by Ulysse (a)
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To: reaganaut1

.....but until they face the reality that being Muslim man, especially a young one, is a risk......

AQ upped the ante and sent in a coal black African.
The game is now different and a racist administration will not be able to cope. AQ will use ACORN Muslims to do the dirty deeds and prevail


10 posted on 01/01/2010 4:51:31 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . What ever I do is what shall be)
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To: reaganaut1

The best “fix” for the safety of our nation is filing letters of impeachment against a president who doesn’t believe there is a “war on terror.” There is no other explanation for appointing an idiot such as Janet Incompetano to Homeland Security.


11 posted on 01/01/2010 4:52:49 AM PST by kittymyrib
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To: reaganaut1

First you need to round up and exterminate every democrat in Washington DC. And about 60% of Republicans (RINO’s).

About 90% of our problems would be solved overnight.


12 posted on 01/01/2010 4:55:59 AM PST by fuzzybutt
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To: reaganaut1
The Obama administration is golfing, bodysurfing, feasting, resting, and trying to ram an unwelcome health care reform bill down our throats instead of working to implement new procedures to find and keep potential terrorists off U.S.-bound planes, as results of a preliminary intelligence review flow into the White House.

Fixed.

13 posted on 01/01/2010 4:56:46 AM PST by KJC1 (*** Happy New Year! ***)
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Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: bert

This is our Achilles heel. Anytime you profile, challenge, suspect, investigate, question or look twice at a black person, you’re a racist. They get a special pass. They will be the delivery system, the Trojan horse, for jihadists in America.


15 posted on 01/01/2010 4:59:07 AM PST by 668 - Neighbor of the Beast (STOP the Tyrananny State.)
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To: 668 - Neighbor of the Beast

Tolerance of an enemy in the White House is the weakness. The only solution is to rid the country of such a person.

Unfortunately there is no legal means


16 posted on 01/01/2010 5:02:49 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . What ever I do is what shall be)
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Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: arbooz

What a bizarre picture! Cheese, I am guessing!


18 posted on 01/01/2010 5:09:04 AM PST by REPANDPROUDOFIT (You can call me "ma'am" !)
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To: reaganaut1
The system failed.*





*Failed to convict white Christian conservatives of terrorism.

19 posted on 01/01/2010 5:27:33 AM PST by rawcatslyentist (Jeremiah 50:31 Behold, I am against you," O " you most proud, said the said the Lord GOD of hosts)
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To: reaganaut1
On Tuesday the president ordered half a dozen agencies to report on the series of breakdowns...

Uhhhhh, hello. Anyone home?

Boom!
20 posted on 01/01/2010 5:32:49 AM PST by Condor51 (The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits)
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