On second thought, Napolitano gives herself a thumbs down!Remember when Janet Napolitano announced - on behalf of President Obama - that commercial aviation security procedures "worked" when the procedures in question allowed an Islamist terrorist to board a plane carrying explosives?
Yeah, that was YESTERDAY.
Today, Napolitano is backpeddling furiously:
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano conceded Monday the aviation security system failed miserably in the foiled Christmas bombing, a stark reversal after claiming the system worked "like clockwork."
"Our system did not work in this instance," Napolitano said on NBC's "Today" show. "No one is happy or satisfied with that. An extensive review is under way."
Source: NY Daily News
Now, it would be foolish to blame the failure of aviation security on President Obama or his administration. If the administration was at fault for the security lapse, that information is not known at this time. For the moment, it has to be assumed that this was an unfortunate error and the system needs to be reassessed and strengthened.
Although they can't be faulted for the situation itself, the Obama administration still managed to fail miserably in the aftermath. Here's why:
- President Obama was not notified of the terrorist attack until three hours after the plane landed.
- President Obama declined to issue a statement or appear on camera to reassure the nation in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack. As of this writing, it has been over 72 hours since the incident and still no word from the president...
- The administration dispatched DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to speak on behalf of President Obama on Sunday - two days after the attack. Instead of allaying the fears of the nation, Napolitano proudly declared that the "system worked."
- On Monday morning, Napolitano backtracked on her statement - personally taking the heat for a statement that was made on behalf of President Obama because he couldn't be bothered to do it.
- Still no word from the president...
