Having failed to portray the recent attempted bombing of an American airliner over Detroit as a counter-terrorism “success” story, the administration of President Barack Obama and its Congressional allies moved on Tuesday to shift at least some of the blame for their failure on Congressional Republicans – specifically U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). DeMint has been holding up the nomination of Erroll Southers, who is Obama’s choice to head up the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a divison of the Department of Homeland Security.
In fact, Senate Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that he would force a vote on Southers’ appointment as soon as lawmakers return to Washington in January.
DeMint was having none of the criticism. In fact, he came out swinging – once again proving that the best defense is always a good offense.
“Unfortunately the president has been downplaying the threat of terrorism since he took office,” DeMint told CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux Tuesday. “He waited eight months to even nominate someone for this position, and then he wanted him approved with no debate or no vote. Senator Reid could have done that months ago, but the fact is they’ve been working on other things and have not seen airport security as a priority.”
Damn! Go DeMint.
DeMint’s objection centers around efforts by the Obama administration to unionize TSA employees, which seem to have taken precedence over its security responsibilities.
Still, even as he was getting popped, DeMint gave Obama credit for owning up to this “systemic” mistake.
“While other Democrats are trying to find someone to blame for this, at least the president is saying it is the responsibility of his administration,” DeMint continued. “My hope is that he’ll change his focus from politics to real security. There’s no reason that we should be focusing the attention of our homeland security agency and airport security on collective bargaining with union bosses when we need to be upgrading to deal with threats all over the world.”
Nice.
Click here for a clip of the interview …
By sam December 30, 2009 at 8:55 am
Let’s wait for the Democratic chorus to blame Bush in 3-2-1…
By anonymous December 30, 2009 at 8:56 am
For DeMint, it’s “all in.” Has been for a couple of years. I’m thinking it’s a good bet.
By countryboy December 30, 2009 at 9:37 am
I heard a great line on TV that comes to mind when I think of politicians (particularly Democrats like Obama, Reid and Pelosi):
“Politicians are like baby diapers, they need to be changed often for the same reason”.
Would love to have that on a T-shirt.
By Ynot December 30, 2009 at 9:47 am
a portrait of the C Street gang!
By OhNoNotAgain December 30, 2009 at 9:55 am
I’m not going to blame Bush, but I’m wondering, in under a year under the new administration, with no agency head at part of Homeland Security’s most important agency as a line of defense, how much has changed under this administartion.
In Year 3, 4, Obama would completely “own” this system, from the TSA to HomeSec, to State, FBI, etc.
I mean, if he’s not putting a focus on terrorism and security, as DeMint says, how much has changed?
I would hope that most at the agencies involved are career folk, mostly non-partisan. Do they need a “focus” to do their jobs?
This is bigger than politics, right or left.
By sam December 30, 2009 at 10:59 am
Just wait until these incompentent, bumbling, beaurocratic bozos get their chubby hands on your healthcare!
By kierthos December 30, 2009 at 1:01 pm
DeMint: He waited eight months to even nominate someone for this position,…”
And you blocked it, Jim. So… you’re not that concerned about security either then? And Obama is hardly the first President to ever want to appoint someone and expect it to sail through Congress without question. But you’d think they’d find a better excuse to block the nomination then “he might want to unionize the TSA”
By OhNoNotAgain December 30, 2009 at 1:27 pm
The other problem, we were told, was that the intelligence agencies and law enforcement weren’t allowed to talk to each other, back in the day.
Remember how an assistant Attorney General named Jamey? Gorelick was villified as an evil person for putting up a legal barrier during the Clinton Administration.
I do recall that we were told this barrier had to be removed and it was removed in the Bush Administration. That was also before Homeland Security existed.
So is it now apparent that, even without the “wall” to prevent it, there’s not enough communication.
This is said not to attack Bush or defend Obama. I think we have the Homeland Security apparatus of the Bush era operating under Obama now.
There are unidentified problems still.
By ohara December 30, 2009 at 5:32 pm
DeMint forgot to mention that the state of Israel, with it’s high level of security & counter-intelligence, has unionized ALL of its airport workers. They don’t seem to have much of a problem with that one, now do they?
This is just more political posturing with hopes of laying down enough of an agenda to get his name on the presidential primary list, now that SAN-FRAUD, his good buddy, is out. If he were serious about security, he never would have hauled that tie-dyed, Miss Clairol head of his to Honduras. He’s trying to take the Sanford approach to politics, yell long & hard about anything the other side is for.
Sanford must be beating his head against a wall since DeMint has stolen his game plan.
By heyward December 30, 2009 at 6:48 pm
ohara–Have you been to Israel and seen how the Jews treat Muslims and Christians? I’m sure the Israeli security unions aren’t quite the same as the SEIU and TEAMSTERS droolies.
Additionally, I don’t think the Israelis would be dumb enough to elect someone like Obama, either.
By devlop'dcntry December 30, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Some of us need to be informed. Do not comment on this blog if you have no idea what is Up, Up is Down, Down is right. Read something la-gett; Read.
By The BOSS December 30, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Give it to him , JIM! Don’t let that bumbling president and his cronies give you any grief. This is squarely on his pitiful back. He she just resign now!
By Pat Hendrix December 30, 2009 at 7:52 pm
I’m shocked, totally shocked that Jim Demint voted against security measures at our airports.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/30/eight-gop-senators-oppose_n_407712.html
And heyward, you do realize that Jews constitute the most loyal voters for the Democratic Party, right? And that Rahm Emanuel is an IDF veteran and his father a founding member of that nation, right?
By ohara December 30, 2009 at 8:43 pm
By heyward on December 30th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
ohara–Have you been to Israel and seen how the Jews treat Muslims and Christians? I’m sure the Israeli security unions aren’t quite the same as the SEIU and TEAMSTERS droolies.
Additionally, I don’t think the Israelis would be dumb enough to elect someone like Obama, either.
—-
Heyward, I take you haven’t lived in the middle East.
Try an airport strike at Ben Gurion, the most recent I believe was in 2006, where everything comes to a screeching halt. The last one I was in at Tel Aviv lasted 12 hours. Got into Cairo (1/2 hour flight) at 1am.
To suggest that unionization of employees is a security issue is an argument the Israelis have not given credence to. Seems they can keep their wits about them while senators like DeMint are running around screaming that the sky is falling.
My point is that DeMint’s argument is a false one. If his interest is security, demand that the TSA & HSA report more often to his committee on their progress in updating that list that is the albatross of security services. Demand a review of procedures for placing suspects on the no fly list. There are at least 100 improvements that should have been made that I can think of, & gee, doesn’t DeMint have a high security clearance so he can access that information?
The Union argument is ridiculous.
He’s not interested in security measures, he’s playing Sanford’s game-raise a fuss about nothing & stick to it.
PS. They’re not “Jews,” they’re Israelis. There are over 50 different religions that are practiced in Israel. As far as their PMs, they elected Ehud Olmert, which in EVERYONE’S opinion, especially the IDF, was the dumbest move EVER made. Keep US partisanship out of the ME when you speak of Israel-it’s a whole different game over there.
By madcock December 30, 2009 at 8:45 pm
I know its a great disappointment to DeMinted and all of his fellow Republicans that the underwear bomber didn’t succeed in killing 300 Americans so they could heap more criticism on Obama.
I can almost here the uncorking of champagne bottles at GOP headquarters fighting to keep inheritance taxes off of estates of over $3.5 million, the offices of the health insurance companies fighting reform that places American’s health over their profits, and the offices of the giant oil companies and and the palaces of the Arab sheikhs whose stranglehold on our economy would be broken if cap and trade were passed, if the underwear bomber had been successful in killing 300 innocent people during the Obama administration, some 2800 fewer people than were killed by terrorists in the first seven months of the Bush-Cheney administration.
I can’t find in my Google searches where he criticized the George Bush for, while vacationing in Crawford, TX, dismissing the President’s National Security Briefing of August 6, 2001 entitled “Bin Laden Planning attack in the United States,” with the words “OK you’ve covered your ass, lets talk about Iraq.”
Can’t find where DeMinted criticized the Bush-Cheney Adminstration for granting the underwear bomber a visa.
Can’t find where Deminted criticized the Bush-Cheney Administration for releasing from Guantanamo to the custody of the Saudi government the terrorists who trained the underwear bomber in Yemen.
Can’t find where DeMinted criticized the Bush-Cheny Administration for not giving to the FBI the intelligence gained from interrogations that Richard Reid, the shoe bomber was an Al Queda operative, so he could have been placed on the no-fly list.
Can’t find where DeMinted criticized the Bush-Cheney Administration for prosecuting Reid, the shoe bomber in civilian federal courts, with full rights, and putting him in a domestic prison in Colorado.
Can’t find where DeMinted criticized George Bush for making no public statements on the shoe bomber until six days after his plot failed.
Can’t find where DeMinted criticized the Bush-Cheney Administration for ignoring the growing Al Queda presence in Yemen or praised the Obama administration for reversing the Bush policy of ignoring Al Queda in Yemen, by bombing their hideouts.
Its a shame that DeMinted is more interested in delivering Obama his “Waterloo” than keeping America safe.
But then, name me one Republican who is any different?
By heyward December 30, 2009 at 9:19 pm
maddy,
Did Richard Reid’s parents call the US Embassy TWICE to inform regarding their son’s radicalism.
Was Richard Reid being followed by the CIA?
Were there any deadly terrorist attacks on US soil involving airplanes after 9/11?
Did Bush extend Constitutional Rights to terrorists like Obama?
Do you feel safer with terrorists housed in Cuba or in Manhattan?
Will homicidal, fanatical terrorists respond to reason?
Whom do you trust to protect our nation, Bush or Obama?
By madcockandheywardsupporter December 30, 2009 at 10:45 pm
It wouldn’t be appropriate to blame the perfect and greatest leader the
Republicans worship as Jesus’s brother for what happened with the dumbass who tried to hurt people on the plane.
It is appropriate, however, to blame their perfect leader for doing nothing about the August 6th 2001 briefing which he did nothing about and the christian and godly man told the government lackey who brought the news ‘You’ve covered your a–’. He didn’t cut short his vacation and no one seemed to care about it.
There never should have been an attack on US soil before, during or after 9/11 if they had done their jobs.
Republicans love to blame Clinton for it, although his people tried to warn the incoming God’s Own Party of the great danger UBL posed to the nation. It’s laughable to hear the Republicans expect to hear the Democrats blame saint georgie pie when that’s all they did themselves after the air attack in New York and Pennsylvania. It was all Bill’s fault, remember? The price of chewing gum increased and that was his fault, too. The first shot fired at Fort Sumter back in 1861 was also his fault because of a divide and conquer agenda. It worked because it resulted in the South being so Democratic for generations, at least until Civil Rights reared it’s ugly and progressive head.
The Republicans lord and savior failed to prevent the attacks and while the Demoncrats were guilty of having sex outside of marriage, something the Republicans never do, there was no attack that left so many dead. The one attack that happened in New York in 1993 resulted in the swift and permanent punishment of the guilty perpetrators who are still in prison and will always be there for their crime.
The Republicans precious and perfect leader did not extend Constitutional Rights to anyone. Constitutional rights were discarded for the peasantry. Those who were connected were able to get some relief for themselves. After all, the Constitution is ‘just a piece of paper’ and the holy law officer Gonzales called the other document from Old Europe referred to as the ‘Geneva Convention’ as ‘quaint’.
We could all feel safer if the accused were given a fair trial to help determine their guilt or innocence. We could all be a lot safer if the US stopped interfering in other nations’ affairs for control of the wrong things. Don’t be silly and believe that US intervention is about human rights or democracy. What does a Republican care about democracy? Republicans want a kleptocracy on one level and a theocracy on another to help control the masses.
Why should Cuba bear the burden of holding prisoners when it was the US who chose to invade Iraq who had nothing to do with 9/11? For all this tough talk about how America is the land of the free and home of the brave, a lot of people seem to be afraid of their own shadow as well as third world sheepherders. If David Berkowitz and others like Al Capone, John Gotti and Charlie Manson can stay in prison without escaping, I think it’s safe to credit the Bureau of Prisons with being well able of holding these dangerous sheepherders. You may safely come out from under your bed now. If the accused are really vicious killers, they wouldn’t go after you as soon as they hit the sidewalks of Manhattan. Their primary aim would probably be to escape and return to the hills of Afghanistan or wherever they came from.
Will homicidal, fanatical idiots respond to reason? I don’t know, but it seems that homicidal, fanatical and xenophobic Americans with the attitude of ‘Kill ‘em all and let my god sort ‘em out’ are just as bad with their bloodlust. Fear breeds hatred and killing begets more killing. People don’t just strike out in large numbers at random. Have you ever tried to consider the problem as deeper than a low-budget Western? There’s a thing called ‘blowback’. I would never condone such a thing, but it’s there. If there is a god which so many of you claim you believe in, I should be afraid to be so bloodthirsty. Which is bigger, God or a sheepherder that you hate because you’ve been told to hate by the news media?
Do you mean to protect the nation’s richest 1%, the interests of big business or the actual prole population? The 41st and 42nd leaders did a pretty decent job of protecting the nation. It would be difficult to trust either of the last two.
By madcock December 31, 2009 at 11:03 am
Heyward, in response to your questions:
No, Richard Reid’s parents did not contact the US Embassy. He was fingered by prisoners during interrogation by Bush-Cheney administration CIA officials who did nothing with the information.
No, only three thousand Americans died from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. There were no succesful attacks on US soil AFTER THAT. Just like the Secret Service allowed no more succesful Presidential assassinations during the 1960′s after President Kennedy was killed. Funny how the Secret Service didn’t brag about that record as an achievement.
Yes, Bush did extend constitutional rights to terrorists. Richard Reid was tried in federal courts with full rights as were the USS Cole conspirators.
I feel safe with terrorists tried in New York, as were the Cole conspirators and the plotters of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.
I feel unsafe because the Bush adminsitration allowed the Al Queda plotters who gave the underwear bomber his instructions to be released to the government of Saudi Arabia and subsequently allowed them to go free in Yemen.
Homicidal fanatical terrorists do not respond to reason. That’s why its inportant to attack them in Afghanistan and Yemen,as Obama has, not let them run free as the Bush-Cheney administtation did after 2003.
I trust Obama more. Three thousand Americans died from terrorists attacks in the first eight months of the Bush administration, even though they were warned of the impending attacks by Clinton administrations hold overs. One is too many, but only 20 Americans at Ft. Hood have died from terrorist attacks in eleven months of the Obama administration.
By katiec December 31, 2009 at 12:15 pm
The party of NOthing is out to destroy our president, with DeMint being one of the leaders, regardless of the costs to us or our country.
They put party first, big business, win at any cost over our survival.
They are well on their way to becoming our countries most dangerous domestic terrorists.