EXCLUSIVE: Obama Got Pre-Christmas Intelligence Briefing About Terror Threats to "Homeland"

Newsweek ^ | 1/1/2010 | Mark Hosenball

[Saije]

President Barack Obama received a high-level briefing only three days before Christmas about possible holiday-period terrorist threats against the US, Newsweek has learned. The briefing was centered on a written report, produced by US intelligence agencies, entitled "Key Homeland Threats", a senior US official said.

The senior Administration official, who asked for anonymity when discussing sensitive information, said that nowhere in this document was there any mention of Yemen, whose Al-Qaeda affiliate is now believed to have been behind the unsuccessful Christmas Day attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to bring down a transatlantic airliner with a bomb hidden in his underpants. However, the official declined to disclose any other information about the substance of the briefing, including what kind of specific warnings, if any, the President was given about possibly holiday attacks and whether Yemen came up during oral discussions.

According to the senior official, the holiday threat briefing, one in a series of regularly-scheduled sessions with top counter-terrorism officials, was held in the White House Situation Room on December 22. Present were representatives of agencies involved in counter-terrorism policy and operations, including Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FBI Director Robert Mueller. The CIA and National Intelligence Directors Office were represented by deputy agency heads: CIA deputy director Steven Kappes, and David Gompert, the principal deputy to National Intelligence Czar Dennis Blair. Also present was Michael Leiter, director of the National Counter-terrorism Center, a unit of the Intelligence Czar's office which was created after 9/11 to ensure that intelligence reporting about possible terrorist plots was shared quickly among all US agencies who might have some capability to do something about it.

[Obadiah]

Are you kidding me!?? Despite the title, this article does everything possible to try and absolve Obama of any responsibility! Clearly, the article is posted by a very friendly reporter who lays out Rahm Emmanuel’s talking points, basically that it’s the intelligence community’s fault for not being more specific, and that Obama is even increasing our intellegence capacity in Yemen.

Pfffft.... this is a plant story put out by Emanuel and conveyed by a willing aide, Newsweak.

[caww]

Thank you very much and likewise. Let’s hope the New Year will begin to lift some of the cloud that hangs over our nation.

[RepublicanChick]

bflr

[Shire]

“What did Obama know and when did he know it?”

Yeah, and why did he and Pelosi get out of the mainland and get to Hawaii for the holidays? Seems mighty strange to me.

[Rapscallion]

What DID he know and WHEN did he know it?

Now it is clearer that the "blame gamers" are trying to damage the intel agencies further. Internally, CIA must feel gang-raped by Obama and his henchmen

[mo]

“Bammy’s administration has two major threats to deal with...al-Qaeda....AND. the destruction of 65,000 jobs/day...going on 18 months now.

Instead the Dems and his administration are pre-occupied with
“healthcare”...and Global Warming/Cap & Trade.

Like “The Stimulus” bill has done ANYTHING.

BTW...anybody see Michael Steel or any Pubbies out there concerned at all about jobs?!!!

[maggief]

Turf wars have been going on as far back as May.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-cia-dispute29-2009dec29,0,6691676.story

A White House intervention for bickering leaders of U.S. intelligence
A classified order is issued to defuse tensions between national intelligence chief Dennis Blair and CIA Director Leon Panetta. It deflects a power move by Blair but keeps him closely in the loop.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/28/panetta-blair-reportedly-turf-battle/

Panetta, Blair reportedly in turf battle

[jersey117]

This is coming out of Newsweak of all places. Should get some play. The top of the FR Breaking News Bar is a good start. Let’s keep it out there.

[maggief]

“And remember .. Axelrod and Emanuel
shockingly sit in on Nat’l Security
Council meetings .. a first for
political aides, supposedly.”

And, Daschle is inline for RE’s job if he resigns. Podesta would likely be in the running.

[onyx]

Thank you, maggief.

Blair was present at the meeting.

Leon’s CIA is getting the blame. I’m all but certain now that Leon is the leak.

[maggief]

Leaks by senior aide and intelligence officials ... pointing at Blair???

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/12/31/news/news-us-security-airline-intelligence.html

A senior aide said Obama would seek accountability at the highest levels, stoking fears in the intelligence community of a shake-up. Another official said the review would show “where the dots should have been connected” and why they were not.

Two officials said a focus of the White House review was what happened to intelligence after it was relayed to the National Counterterrorism Center, created in 2004 to collect, integrate and analyze the information as it is gathered.

U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said spy agencies picked up important information about the suspected would-be-bomber, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, and about the intentions of al Qaeda leaders in Yemen, in the months before the attempted bombing.

The intelligence trail began at least four months ago, when the U.S. National Security Agency intercepted communications between al Qaeda leaders in Yemen discussing the possibility of using a “Nigerian” bomber, according to one official briefed on the intelligence.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

The system worked so well they have changed the story once again. Now they say there was a 2nd man from the plane who was detained, searched and released.

[stephenjohnbanker]

When Obama ordered Holder to move the terrorist trial to NYC,most people were talking about how the terrorists might get off. That was not the reason for the move. The real reason is Obama WANTS another attack on NYC by al-Queda, and the trial will get him what he wants. Similarly, a plane with 270 people dead is a good appetizer. Anyone think Obama not capable of this?

Remember the Civilian Security Force?? Obama needs a viable reason to install them. Without a compelling reason, too many people would object to it. If planes start falling, he can claim existing intelligence is not enough. Enter the street thugs.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

This story came out almost immediately after CNN helped dump the blame on CNN. I had no doubt this source was probably Panetta (or someone authorized by him).

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126213211097909605.html

Father of Terror Suspect Met With CIA Official in Nigeria
wsj ^ | 12/29/09

The father of terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab met with the Central Intelligence Agency at the U.S. embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, and told of his son's likely radicalization, according to the CIA. The initial meeting Nov. 19 led to a broader gathering of multiple U.S. agencies the next day, including representatives of the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department and the CIA, in which the information was shared, a U.S. official said.

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

---

I keep beating this like a worn out drum, I know. Beating it again. :-)

300 people could have lost their lives in a terrorist attack that failed. CYA is the first order of business for the WH and they did it with a lie.

[GeorgiaDawg32]

One of my favorites:

“We’re going to continue having these company-wide departmental meetings 3 times a week until we figure out why nothing is getting done.”

[Liz]

This report from American Spectator was most shocking: David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel sat in on Nat’l Security Council meetings..... .. supposedly a first for WH political aides. I want to know how those two Chicago thugs got top security clearances, and why their presence is needed in "national security war room" council meetings? Unless of course, the "war room" council meetings are Clinton-style political plotting.

All of that's understandable when you factor in:

(a) Emanuel and Axelrod (Obama presidential campaign stragegists) are best buddies. Axelrod signed the ketuba, the Jewish marriage contract, at Emanuel's wedding, an honor that is reserved for a close family friend or relative.

(b) Rahm Emanuel got rich overnight in the Chicago office of Wasserstein Perella & Co.---Emanuel got millions putting together a merger involving Chicago-based Exelon Corporation----- one of Axelrod’s biggest PR accounts.

(c) Emanuel is VERY close to Israel, our best friend in the Middle East---one of the conditions for Israel getting billions in US foreign aid is that they share all Mideast intel with the US. So Rahm and Axelrod would have "inside" info gleaned from thousands of Mossad agents stationed in the US.

REFERENCE Circa 1991 Rahm volunteered for “Sar’el”——a three-week Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) training program (like US boot camp) where civilians are trained to assist the Israeli military. Civilians like Rahm lived on an IDF military base to get the proper training. A civilian volunteer, Rahm assisted the IDF during the 1991 Gulf War, repairing truck brakes in one of Israel’s northern bases.

Rahm is lacking part of a finger and for many years went around claiming that he’d lost it in military actions against the Israeli enemy in a tank. Course, if Rahm fought in the military of foreign government, that would negate his American citizenship (US citizens forfeit their citizenship when they serve in the military of a foreign government).

Rahm's father was an Israeli who was part of the underground resistance movement under the British Mandate.

Obama has stated that dual citizen Rahm tells him "everything he needs to know about Israel."

[SE Mom]

Rahm is indeed a fascinating character in this nightmare- it seems apparent he and Axelrod are the major “brains” behind The One.

[Condor51]

*** Rahm's father was an Israeli who was part of the underground resistance movement under the British Mandate. ***

Hmmm? I guess that's one way to put it.
Another is:

Rahm's father was part of the underground Terrorist Group, the Haganah, which targeted the murder of innocent civilians during the British Mandate. Like the bombing of the King David Hotel in which 91 people were killed in the explosion.

A Terrorist by any name, is still a Terrorist.

(and my 'brethren' who were in the IRA are no exception either)

[maggief]

Don’t forget that other Chicago thug, Podesta.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/12/rahm_emanuel_so_far_having_a_v.html

WASHINGTON—”A very strong run so far.” That’s how former Clinton White House Chief of Staff John Podesta—the native Chicagoan who ran President Obama’s transition operation—evaluated Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

[TornadoAlley3]