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Napolitano Acknowledges Security Failed in Allowing Terror Suspect on Plane
FOX News ^ | December 28, 2009 | Staff

Posted on 12/28/2009 6:54:27 AM PST by MaestroLC

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano conceded Monday that airline security failed in allowing a Nigerian on a terror watch list and allegedly armed with explosives onto a Detroit-bound flight, a turnaround from her declaration a day day earlier that "the system worked."

The secretary's comment Sunday was widely criticized, given that suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was foiled because his explosive mixture did not properly detonate and he was stopped in his tracks by vigilant passengers.

The suspect, who carried the explosive in his underwear, passed through security at two airports -- in Nigeria and Amsterdam, Netherlands. Plus he was not on any "no-fly" list, even though he was on a massive federal database of people with suspected ties to terrorists and his father apparently had warned U.S. embassy officials in Nigeria about his son.

"Here, clearly, something went awry. We want to fix that problem," Napolitano told Fox News on Monday.

She said officials are doing a complete review to determine what needs to change to prevent such a passenger from clearing security in the future.

"No secretary of homeland security would sit here and say that a system worked prior to this incident which allowed this individual to get on this plane," Napolitano said.

Her comments marked a change in tone from the day before, when she lauded security officials' handling of the affair.

"I think the important thing to recognize here is that once this incident occurred, everything happened that should have," she said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. "We trained for this. We planned for this."

On CNN's "State of the Union," she said: "One thing I'd like to point out is that the system worked."

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bhodhs; failed; flight253; miserablefailure; napolitano; security; terror; thesystemworked
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To: MaestroLC

Yesterday Lying Janet says “The system worked”.

Today she says the guy bought a ticket with $3000 cash, and had no passport, and boarded without any luggage beyond a carry on.

Flip-Flop all you want, Janet. You are a complete joke.

You are another administration official who doesn’t have a clue, and should not be in ANY position of authority.....not even dog catcher in a small county.


41 posted on 12/28/2009 7:26:55 AM PST by ridesthemiles
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To: mylife

“So we’ve decided that you cant get out of your seat or have anything on your lap for the final hour of the flight.

Brilliant”

I agree with your setiments. It is such a stangely robotic reaction which once again does not address the threat.

It’s like elementary school: “Since somebody caught on fire in the last hour of the school day, no one can go to the bathroom in the last hour of the day, class.” But by all means, take your time in the bathroom in the middle of the flight...

Profiling the human is wrong so everyone is subjected to random searches. Yet, the speciicity gets placed on a portion of the flight based on the event that, likely, was an anomaly.

I don’t know. Maybe we will have to remove our shoes AND UNDERWEAR now, too.


42 posted on 12/28/2009 7:28:03 AM PST by Voter62vb
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To: pburgh01

Yes, she said it at least three times:

“The procedures have been in place for many years” = “It’s Bush’s fault.”

But that begs the question -—If the rules were in place for many years why are the Muslims only now feeling bold enough to test the system now?

And why is a person banned from entry in GB given a two year visa to enter the U.S.?


43 posted on 12/28/2009 7:28:03 AM PST by BigBobber
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To: MaestroLC; Jet Jaguar; NorwegianViking; ExTexasRedhead; HollyB; FromLori; ...

The list, ping


44 posted on 12/28/2009 7:28:26 AM PST by Nachum (The complete Obama list at www.nachumlist.com)
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To: MaestroLC
Today, she claims her comments were taken out of context.

Here are 2 videos -- in context -- from CNN and ABC "This Week".

Napolitano on CNN yesterday [youtube video]: "One thing I'd like to point out is that the system worked..."

Napolitano on "This Week" [youtube video]: "Once this incident had occurred, the system worked..."
45 posted on 12/28/2009 7:30:28 AM PST by TomGuy
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To: Boonie

You are so right!

***“We trained for this. We planned for this.”***

They planned for the passengers to take action?


46 posted on 12/28/2009 7:30:48 AM PST by kitkat (Obama hates us. Well, maybe a LOT of Kenyans do.)
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To: Boonie

It’s like the Ron White comedian gig:

“How far is this plane going?”

“All the way to the scene of the crash. We’ll beat the rescue squad by a half an hour”

Or something like that.

Apologies to Ron White.


47 posted on 12/28/2009 7:31:13 AM PST by Voter62vb
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To: MaestroLC

“She said officials are doing a complete review to determine what needs to change to prevent such a passenger from clearing security in the future”

What needs to change? I flew home yesterday (Sunday) and here are the “changes” I noticed the TSA at O’Hare has started so far:

1) Everyone is asked to pack their coat inside their carryon if possible
2) shoes now go directly on the conveyer belt, instead of in a plastic bin
3) book bags and purses now go directly on the belt
4) finally, I seem to be very lucky at winning the “bag check” bingo, it happens even tho I now mail all my toiletries and jewely ahead. BTW, I am not opposed to the extra checking or the pat downs....but is it possible they are profiling older white women, because it happens to me so often?


48 posted on 12/28/2009 7:33:04 AM PST by chgomac
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To: BigBobber

She needs to go.
They all need to.


49 posted on 12/28/2009 7:33:07 AM PST by Eric in the Ozarks (Impeachment !)
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To: BigBobber

If you’re waiting for a presidential candidate who writes their own speeches your going to have a very, very long wait.


50 posted on 12/28/2009 7:35:53 AM PST by BigBobber
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To: mylife
No going to the lavatory one our before landing either.

WTH before we are done they are going to hook everyone up to a catheter upon boarding.

51 posted on 12/28/2009 7:44:10 AM PST by mware (F-R-E-E, that spells free. Free Republic.com baby.)
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To: All
NY Times: WASHINGTON — Backtracking from a widely criticized assertion over the weekend, the secretary of homeland security, Janet Napolitano, said in a televised interview on Monday that the thwarted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas represented a failure of the nation’s aviation security system, not a success.

Ms. Napolitano said on the “Today” program on NBC that her remark on Sunday that the system worked had been taken out of context. “Our system did not work in this instance,” she said on the program. “No one is happy or satisfied with that. An extensive review is under way.”

52 posted on 12/28/2009 7:48:19 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: MaestroLC

She said that the system “worked” because agencies were notified within 60-90 minutes. Clock that at 90 minutes if you don’t know when then last group was contacted. 60 minutes is to make the numbers seem better.


53 posted on 12/28/2009 7:48:36 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Question authority!Who is the University of East Anglia to drive the 'Global Climate Change' agenda?)
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To: MaestroLC

Have there been any updates on the reported eyewitness who said the terrorist didn’t even have a passport, and was “helped” through the boarding process posing as a Somali refugee?


54 posted on 12/28/2009 7:50:17 AM PST by jstaff
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Note, the NY Times could not bring themselves to mention the interview was from Fox News.


55 posted on 12/28/2009 7:50:32 AM PST by mware (F-R-E-E, that spells free. Free Republic.com baby.)
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To: All

Read this carefully...........

“I think the important thing to recognize here is that once this incident occurred, everything happened that should have,” she said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “We trained for this. We planned for this.”

“...once this incident occurred...”

In other words, we don’t know what the hell to do to PREVENT anything...only how and what to cover up AFTER it occurs......


56 posted on 12/28/2009 7:51:02 AM PST by Boonie
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To: Presbyterian Reporter

“So we need to be thinking like a Marxist to out fox the Obama Marxists.

You mean like wondering if the “Rahm strategy” of never letting a crisis go to waste is going to be implemented when a terrorist attack happens around election time
and is used to suspend the Constitution and implement marshall law??


57 posted on 12/28/2009 7:51:02 AM PST by crazyshrink (Barack Hussein Obama...... "The Rush to Communism")
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To: savedbygrace
Then why do you have to change the rules for all airline passengers, such as not allowing them to get out of their seats an hour before landing?

I'm a 61 year-old man with a history of prostate trouble. Think I'll be flying much? Do I get an exemption for being a veteran of the U.S.A.F. (1970-74?) No, we're all the same. Can't have any profiling.

58 posted on 12/28/2009 7:51:43 AM PST by TruthShallSetYouFree (Kenya tell me where Obama was born?)
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To: MaestroLC
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano conceded Monday that airline security failed in allowing a Nigerian on a terror watch list and allegedly armed with explosives onto a Detroit-bound flight, a turnaround from her declaration a day day earlier that "the system worked."

So Janet Napolitano, you socialist POS, which one is it??? The system worked before it didn't work???

Liberals & socialist demoRATs are the dumbest people on the planet, exceeded only by the dumb stupid asses who vote for these traitors like 0bozo & his entire administration, plus Senate & House demoRATs.

59 posted on 12/28/2009 7:51:52 AM PST by rcrngroup
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To: MaestroLC

She isn’t qualified to be secretary of the motor pool.
What a buffoon.


60 posted on 12/28/2009 7:53:57 AM PST by Frenchtown Dan
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