Terror Attempt Shows Flawed Security Approach
On Inauguration Day, Barack Obama pledged to “seek a new way forward” in American foreign policy, “based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” Less than a year later, we received a stark reminder that al Qaeda terrorists have no intention of seeking a new way forward. The attempted terror attack on Christmas Day made it clear that our enemies remain as determined as ever to kill innocent Americans, regardless of who occupies the Oval Office.
The Obama administration’s actions both before and after the attack do little to reassure Americans that our safety is in competent hands. Just days after Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up a Detroit-bound plane, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano proclaimed on national television that “the system worked.” In blatant disregard of the facts, Napolitano attempted to convince the public that nothing went wrong with a system that allowed an extremist to smuggle explosives onto an airliner while the rest of us are lucky to make it onboard with toothpaste.
Secretary Napolitano’s reaction is not just wrong. It is dangerous.
If the administration hesitated to even acknowledge the grievous system failures that contributed to such a massive security breach, how can we trust they will improve the system before another would-be bomber boards a plane?
The threats we face require a greater sense of urgency and accountability than has thus far been displayed by the Obama administration. Constant innovation is necessary to identify terrorists and defend against new tactics. However, many of President Obama’s national security initiatives have focused on terror suspects who have already been captured: closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center, transferring militant prisoners to American soil and bringing terror masterminds to trial in civilian courts.
Before the Christmas near-catastrophe, the administration had spent comparatively little time discussing efforts to make security improvements that could identify terrorists before they have a chance to strike. Outside of carefully scripted remarks, the National Security Council has failed to provide substantive information to relevant Congressional committees and has stonewalled efforts to conduct meaningful oversight of recent terror-related events.
Despite all the security measures implemented after 9/11, Abdulmutallab’s story demonstrates we remain vulnerable. Abdulmutallab was a known security threat who purchased a one-way ticket, paid in cash and boarded with no luggage. His father had warned the CIA in November that he might be dangerous. Any one of these warning signs should have been enough to trigger our existing safeguards had they been utilized effectively. However, almost nine years after 9/11, our intelligence agencies failed to connect the dots, and airport screening procedures failed to spot the explosives and syringe hidden under Abdulmutallab’s clothing.
Thankfully, the courage of quick-thinking passengers averted tragedy. But passengers should not be the first line of defense.
Since the "near miss" on Christmas day, the president has been tougher in his rhetoric and his actions. That is well and good. However, he must also alter his still somewhat naive view of the threat that we face. The American people expect and deserve a president who understands the true nature of our enemies and who takes the necessary actions to prevent attacks on U.S. soil. It is my hope that our president will learn the hard lessons of history and become such a leader.
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