|  | | National Security Brief: Monday, January 4, 2009 | 
| | | 
| | Harry Truman kept on his desk a sign that read "The Buck Stops Here." As President Obama gathers with his national security team Tuesday to ensure that, as he put it last week, "there is accountability at every level" for the latest in a rising tide of terrorist attacks inside the United States, Mr. Truman's successor must accept responsibility for his own role in the growing danger. I am not suggesting that Mr. Obama was directly complicit in the failure to keep Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab and his explosive-laden underwear off Northwest 253 on Christmas Day. As is often the case with these things, there were lots of red flags "in the system" about this would-be terrorist that should have kept him off that plane. Such "dots" are easily connected with hindsight, after the attack is launched. The trick is for people well south of the President to act on them beforehand. The fact that the trick was not performed in this instance or, for that matter, in connection with the penultimate attack - the one perpetrated by Major Nidal Malik Hasan at Fort Hood last November - does indeed constitute, in President Obama's words, a "systemic failure." It is entirely appropriate to try to find out who dropped which ball, less to assign blame than in the hope of preventing a repeat. One thing is already obvious, though. What Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano famously called "the system" has been trying with increasing difficulty to prevent terrorism here at home within impossible policy and programmatic constraints. Mr. Obama must take a measure of responsibility for those constraints. | | A very special hourlong conversation on Shariah, or Islamic law, with Robert Spencer of Jihadwach. Mr. Spencer is the author of several books on this topic, including The Truth About Muhammad, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (And the Crusades) and Stealth Jihad: How Radical Islam is Subverting America without Guns or Bombs. Frank talks about a real tragedy for America in the recent murder of CIA operatives in Afghanistan. Former CIA Station Chief Gary Berntsen shares the insight of his many years in the nation's service. In addition, several experts join Secure Freedom Radio to look forward at threats to our national security in 2010. Will Iran acquire a nuclear weapon? Who'll be accountable for the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day? With Frank this hour are Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Secure Freedom Radio regular contributor on East Asia issues, Gordon Chang. The National Defense University's Peter Hussey tells the emerging story of Saddam Hussein's attempts at terrorism against American assets in the Czech Republic.Mr. Hussey is a member of the New Deterrent Working Group. Then FDD's Michael Ledeen joins Secure Freedom Radio for a blow-by-blow on the latest in Iran. Finally, Frank talks about the Center for Security Policy. | | | Do you have a question for Frank or one of his guests? If your question or comment is read on the air, we'll send you a free copy
of Frank Gaffney's War Footing or Caroline Glick's Shackled Warrior.
| | | THE CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY is a non-profit, non-partisan national security organization that specializes in identifying policies, actions, and resource needs that are vital to American security and then ensures that such issues are the subject of both focused, principled examination and effective action by recognized policy experts, appropriate officials, opinion leaders, and the general public.
info@securefreedom.org
www.securefreedom.org | |
| | |
Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service.
Get it now. --
Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --
Albert Einstein !!!
0 comments:
Post a Comment