EXCLUSIVE: Obama Got Pre-Christmas Intelligence Briefing About Terror Threats to "Homeland"

[Truthiness Inspector]

President Barack Obama received a high-level briefing only three days before Christmas about possible holiday-period terrorist threats against the US, Newsweek has learned. The briefing was centered on a written report, produced by US intelligence agencies, entitled "Key Homeland Threats", a senior US official said.
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/archive/2010/01/01/exclusive-obama-got-pre-christmas-intelligence-briefing-about-terror-threats-to-homeland.aspx

The senior Administration official, who asked for anonymity when discussing sensitive information, said that nowhere in this document was there any mention of Yemen, whose Al-Qaeda affiliate is now believed to have been behind the unsuccessful Christmas Day attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to bring down a transatlantic airliner with a bomb hidden in his underpants. However, the official declined to disclose any other information about the substance of the briefing, including what kind of specific warnings, if any, the President was given about possibly holiday attacks and whether Yemen came up during oral discussions.

According to the senior official, the holiday threat briefing, one in a series of regularly-scheduled sessions with top counter-terrorism officials, was held in the White House Situation Room on December 22. Present were representatives of agencies involved in counter-terrorism policy and operations, including Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FBI Director Robert Mueller. The CIA and National Intelligence Directors Office were represented by deputy agency heads: CIA deputy director Steven Kappes, and David Gompert, the principal deputy to National Intelligence Czar Dennis Blair. Also present was Michael Leiter, director of the National Counter-terrorism Center, a unit of the Intelligence Czar's office which was created after 9/11 to ensure that intelligence reporting about possible terrorist plots was shared quickly among all US agencies who might have some capability to do something about it.

>>>More at the link

[dave29]

1. MAN DETERMINED TO BLOW UP CROTCH OVER DETROIT

seen on cover of briefing

:eyes:

[Truthiness Inspector]

3. If that makes you feel better, ok.

Do we not want a safe country? I do, and I expect our current President to take care of business just like we have expected of all past Presidents. Otherwise, our standards are so low we might as well not give a shit about anything at all.

[dave29]

5. there is no story here... Newsweek is reporting on a "planned" briefing

if there was actionable intelligence in this briefing about the crotch bomber, I am sure we will hear about it. We already have heard the President say there was a systemic failure, and he is taking action to make the system better. I do not see anything in here to suggest the President knew there would be a plot to blow up a plane over Detroit.

[Drunken Irishman]

6. I guess Pres. Obama should have halted all flights around the country.

Days before Christmas on the hunch something might happen in an airport somewhere involving someone from some country that wasn't mentioned.

Yeah. That's the ticket.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

32. You nailed it.

...if there was actionable intelligence in this briefing about the crotch bomber, I am sure we will hear about it...

As provocative as Newsweek's presentation of the article may be ("EXCLUSIVE: Obama Got Pre-Christmas Intelligence Briefing About Terror Threats to "Homeland" "), it comes down to a series of variations on this theme (from the article):

"When Newsweek asked a senior Administration official about this characterization of a warning which was passed to White House policymakers, and whether it tracked what was presented at the December 22 Presidential briefing, the official would not comment."

The difference between Obama Got Pre-Christmas Intelligence Briefing About Terror Threats to "Homeland" and Bin Laden Determined To Strike In The U.S. begins with the fact that Bin Laden was named, and the briefing stated that he was "determined to strike" with AIRCRAFT.

There is nothing to suggest that President Obama received that level of detail. It simply appears that one or more "senior Administration officials" like to see their "anonymous" leaks in print.

George W. Bush was presented with "actionable intelligence" and chose to ignore it.

:patriot:

[liberalmuse]

14. Please don't.

Get your story straight before pimping it here, please. It might fly on FR, but there are thinkers here.

[busymom]

11. LOL

Sorry. Can't help myself. that was funny.

[Drunken Irishman]

2. So...

The briefing didn't brief him at all about anything that happened.

WHERE IS THE STORY?

:eyes:

[me b zola]

4. What's wrong? Still mad that your hero was briefed about Bin Ladin

...and all he could do was say that the person had "covered their rear-end"?

[Truthiness Inspector]

7. No need to bash President Clinton. n/t

[me b zola]

8. Bzzzt.

So Clinton is responsible for 911?

[Truthiness Inspector]

10. Are you nuts?

Terrorists are responsible for their own actions. Paying attention to looming threats is imperative, however.

[me b zola]

20. My gibberish translator is broken

Could you please explain your post to me?

[me b zola]

22. I'm facinated by your choice of avitars

:freak:

[JI7]

18. really exposing yourself, i can't believe you are still here

[dkf]

9. The brits got it right

Why didn't we?

That will be the big question.

[Pirate Smile]

19. The Brits thought he was trying to get by their immigration law - NOT that he was a terror threat.

Why push RW memes and attacks on the President?

[dkf]

34. They scrutinize their visas for official classes at official institutions

We issue two year open ended visas for religious festivals and i do guess blowing up planes in a religious suicide attempt kind of fits the bill. The brits treat the whole system much more seriously than we do.

[moobu2]

12. Sorry, this is just creating a mountain out of something less than a mole hill

It was a regular briefing of the kind that Obama gets, well, regularly, and contained no warning that anyone had plans to sneak explosives onto a plane in their underwear or anywhere else. It’s nothing…no, less than nothing.


I wouldn't even use this against Bush/Cheney.

[GoCubsGo]

39. Yep.

He gets security briefings every day, and threats are made against this country many times a day. The bedwetters on the right are getting hysterical about it, because they're bedwetters. They can't help themselves. They fear everything. Nothing new here.

[Politicub]

13. Has everyone forgotten that panty bomber didn't accomplish anything but burn his crotch?

Bizarre times we live in. An act of terror doesn't happen, and somehow President Obama gets implicated for it.

And under Bushco, terrorists fucking destroyed the twin towers, and more than 3/4 of the country could care less that he and his admin were warned ahead of time. What is wrong with this picture?

[Cha]

15. I know the republicons have taken over the airwaves

to blame President Obama but they better forget about it on DU 'cause that shit won't fly.

[Pirate Smile]

16. Some here seem to be pushing it as well. It's bizarre.

[me b zola]

24. Hey Cha, I've worn out the alert button on this one

Over the past few years it will pop in to take a dump and then it goes back under it's rock for a while.

[Truthiness Inspector]

17. What is wrong with this? Your narrow perspective, perhaps.

Had this numb or no nuts (after the fact) terrorist succeeded would your answer be different since you base it on "success" (incompetency on the part of the respective terrorist) level?

[Politicub]

23. Again, I acknowledge the evidence of what actually happened

Versus your straw man of what "could" have happened.

What is your point, anyway?

[Cha]

29. You're trying to politicize National Security just like the Fucking

republicons.

babylonsister (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-30-09 02:08 PM
Original message

Dems Blame Bush Admin For Terror Attempt
Now we know that Cheney was trying to insulate himself preemptively.

Dems Blame Bush Admin For Terror Attempt
December 30, 2009 12:59 PM

By Reid Wilson

As GOPers begin increasingly using the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner to score political points, 2 Dems are blaming the Bush admin for events that led directly to the failed attack.

While many Dems stay silent and let the WH lead the way, DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) say the previous admin let down their guard.

"In general, we are facing the consequences of the Bush administration's failures to deal with al Qaeda," Van Hollen told Hotline OnCall. "The Republicans have no business in pointing fingers at the Obama administration on terrorism and national security."

"The Obama administration has been much more aggressive about going after al Qaeda than the Bush administration, which turned its focus from al Qaeda to Iraq," he added. The Obama admin has "been on the offense in places where the Bush administration had taken its eye off the ball."

Meanwhile, Massa has taken on ex-VP Dick Cheney, who he says is directly responsible for releasing the top al Qaeda figures in Yemen who aided and trained the Nigerian-born suspect.

"I would remind the American public that the apparent leaders of the al Qaeda cell in Yemen were 2 terrorists who were released by Vice President Cheney in secret. I think there's a level of accountability that has to be levied personally on the vice president," Massa said in an interview. "He is personally responsible for that."


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x103004#103008
babylonsister (1000+ posts) Tue Dec-29-09 07:12 PM
Original message
If They Really Want To Politicize National Security
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/20...

IF THEY REALLY WANT TO POLITICIZE NATIONAL SECURITY.... A variety of congressional Republicans seem awfully anxious to play partisan games with the terrorist threat, and exploit the Abdulmutallab plot for electoral gain. The risk, of course, is that by starting the fight, the GOP attack dogs may be confronted with issues they're unprepared to deal with.

There is, for example, the fact that the nominated head of the TSA can't get confirmed because of Republican obstructionism. Then there's the fact that congressional Republicans also opposed funding for the TSA, including money for screening operations and explosives detection systems.

And then there's this unpleasant tidbit.

Two of the four leaders allegedly behind the al Qaeda plot to blow up a Northwest Airlines passenger jet over Detroit were released by the U.S. from the Guantanamo prison in November 2007, according to American officials and Department of Defense documents. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the Northwest bombing in a Monday statement that vowed more attacks on Americans.

American officials agreed to send the two terrorists from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia, where they entered into an "art therapy rehabilitation program" and were set free, according to U.S. and Saudi officials.

As Ron Chusid put it, "Just imagine the Republican response if Barack Obama or Bill Clinton had released prisoners to enter an 'art therapy rehabilitation program.' This sounds almost as silly as an American president sitting and reading a children's book while the country is under attack."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x102148

[jbnow]

31. The release was worse that that. It was despite military warnings

that they were still an active danger to the country and must not be released from Gitmo. (per Evan Coleman, a terrorism expert who was first guest on Countdown 12-30)
He said they released them for political reasons despite the warnings. He didn't say what those reasons were. If true that is some nasty news.
Transcript

Not to mention the fact that the people that sent out Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the leaders of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, these were Guantanamo Bay detainees. They were released by the Bush administration, against the advice of the U.S. military, who repeatedly said that these individuals posed an active threat to U.S. national security.

For political reasons, within months of these people being judged unfit for release, they were sent back to Saudi Arabia. How can that happen?

[Parker CA]

21. Super bizarro world. Reading the comments in the Newsweek piece is a good insight to

the absolute super-screwed reality the freepers live in. It's clear they've been spoon-fed so many bowls of nonsense that they can no longer generate even a single rational sentence or thought.

[zulchzulu]

27. I say a prayer every 23 seconds for all the people who perished in that horrible crash...

Just as I kneel down and pray for all the carnage from the Shoe Bomber, what the Underpants Bomber did that made the World stand still makes me say, um, like, a couple Hail Marys.

:crazy:

[dionysus]

28. he was supposed to fly out of a telephone booth and vaporize the plane in midair apparently...

:shrug:

[zulchzulu]

25. You'd think Obama would have flown to Amsterdam to check passengers on Northwest!

After all, the American people want a clairvoyant, telepathic, mind-melding President who has a nicely tuned crystal ball attachment on his Blackberry!

:sarcasm:

[Parker CA]

26. No, no, no, he should have done it from his desk in the Oval Office via teleconference bc every time

he's not in the WH he can only be gone on vacation.

[marshall]

30. Just shows the system needs fixing

There wasn't anything last week that Obama could have done to prevent this. Maybe if the briefing came a month or two ago, but even then nobody would have probably believed it.

Basically the wall of secrecy between agencies has to come down, and there is great resistance to that. It would not be ordered down on a mere threat. Something like this that is concrete needed to happen before that step can be taken.

[eleny]

33. Dream on

[lamp_shade]

35. Exclusive? What? This is news? To whom?

[Hekate]

36. Are you SURE you're in the right place, Truthiness? Your home may be thataway --->

[firedupdem]

38. how it gets to stay is beyond me. n/t

[GeorgeGist]

37. No mention of Yemen .

Ass covered - check.