Al-Qaeda Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) now claims responsibility for the attempted Christmas bombing of NWS Flight #253. AQAP linked the attack to a recent Predator air-strike that killed key AQAP HVTs (High-Value Targets).
Meanwhile, the perp, who was talking a blue streak before being hit with criminal charges, is now safely "Mirandized" and "lawyered up." And thus, such matters as what AQAP knows about penetrating screening, what its plans might be, what kind of training recruits receive, how recruiting is conducted, all these matters that a proper interrogation of said perp might yield--i.e., useful intelligence data of national security value--are now foreclosed by Team Obama's myopic focus on proving the worth of our criminal justice system.
President Obama's Dec. 28 Hawaii terror remarks yesterday were scatter-shot. He called the attempt an act of terrorism:
Thanks to the quick and heroic actions of passengers and crew, the suspect was immediately subdued, the fire was put out, and the plane landed safely. The suspect is now in custody and had been charged with attempting to destroy an aircraft. And a full investigation has been launched into this attempted act of terrorism and we will not rest until we find all who were involved and hold them accountable.
This was a serious reminder of the dangers that we face and the nature of those who threaten our homeland. Had the suspect succeeded in bringing down that plane it could have killed nearly 300 passengers and crew, innocent civilians preparing to celebrate the holidays with their families and friends.
But then he prematurely called the terrorist an "isolated extremist":
Finally, the American people should remain vigilant, but also be confident. Those plotting against us seek not only to undermine our security, but also the open society and the values that we cherish as Americans. This incident, like several that have preceded it demonstrates that an alert and courageous citizenry are far more resilient than an isolated extremist.
The privilege against self-incrimination we have foolishly given unlawful combatants will, in this case, take precedence over the need to obtain information to prevent future attacks by AQAP. OK, maybe prosecutors will cut a deal. But we likely could have gotten the information WITHOUT promising the perp anything, since he was talking furiously upon his arrest. While he was off balance, we could have gotten lots of stuff that now we will have to pay for, and perhaps let a would-be mass murder off with a wrist-slap to get the data we were entitled to get from him as an unlawful combatant without giving way.
BUT KARL ROVE REALLY NAILED IT ON FOX NEWS LAST NIGHT: PRESIDENT OBAMA WAS WOKEN UP INSTANTLY TO BE INFORMED HE HAD WON THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE. BUT HE WAS ALLOWED TO SLEEP AN EXTRA THREE HOURS BEFORE BEING TOLD OF THE CHRISTMAS TERROR ATTACK.
One other dark spot in the WP story: With 40 advanced millimeter-wave (extremely short wavelength radio waves that sketches out silhouette shapes without photographic detail) scanners installed at 19 of America's 430 major airports, there are only 150 currently on order for early delivery, and there are 2,200 security lanes at the major airports. Which means 2,000 uncovered lanes for years to come. Enjoy flying the friendly skies!
Bottom Line. The President's policy is simply put, schizophrenic and partially delusional: He recognizes that an act of terrorism was attempted, but frames the issues in terms of criminal prosecution. And he hastened to label the attacker "isolated"--even as today AQAP claimed a role. Factor in that Yemen is now officially a battleground--AQAP having sponsored this retaliatory attack--and Team Obama is trying to shoehorn terrorist acts of war into garden-variety criminal cases. Symbolic of the confusion Team Obama finds itself in, is that nearly half the remaining detainees held at Guantanamo were Yemenis, slated to be repatriated to Yemen, now clearly a terrorist haven for al-Qaeda.
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