SUNDAY,  DECEMBER 27,  2009

BRIT WRITER SUMS IT UP - AT 7:22 P.M. ET:  AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, I LIKE THE DIRECTNESS OF BRITISH JOURNALISTS.  HERE, SEAN RAYMENT OF THE TELEGRAPH GIVES THE BEST SUMMING UP OF WHAT THE AIRLINE TERROR INCIDENT MEANS:

Tough questions need to be asked of not just the US security agencies – such as the CIA and the FBI – but also of Britain's MI6, MI5 and the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorist unit.
How can a Muslim student, whose name appears on a US law enforcement database, be granted a visa to travel to America, allegedly acquire an explosive device from Yemen, a country awash with al-Qaeda terrorists, and avoid detection from the world's most sophisticated spy agencies?

Spot on.  And may the subject "political correctness" be included in the answer.

Attacking airlines is not exactly new territory for al-Qaeda. After 9/11, Richard Reid, a British Muslim convert, tried to blow up a transatlantic airliner by detonating explosives hidden in his shoes. More recently, Britain was the base for the so-called liquid bomb plot when a group of British Islamists plotted to destroy up to 10 US bound airliners in a series of attacks designed to kill thousands.

As 9/11 showed, for a relatively cheap outlay- the cost of the operation was estimated at round £300,000 – the impact of an airline attack can be global: the desired conclusion for every al-Qaeda mission.

Yet Abdulmutallab, a 23-year Nigerian, who US officials said studied mechanical engineering at University College in London, came frighteningly close to committing a terrorist atrocity undetected.

There are credible reports that the perp was either trained in Yemen or got help from Yemenis.

Any Yemen connection brings an international dimension to the plot and suggests that this "near miss" was a conspiracy and not the work of one man acting alone. Such a notion will prove hugely worrying for the US and Britain because it would suggest that al-Qaeda have managed to create another international, and as yet unknown, network capable of planning and mounting attacks.

That is very well stated, and better than the fluff we're getting from American media.

Reports suggest that Abdulmutallab was able to carry the powdery substance undetected by concealing it on the inside of his upper thigh, close to his groin – an area likely to avoid detection even by the most conscientious of security officials. It would appear that he was allowed to take a syringe containing a liquid on board the aircraft by apparently taking advantage of airlines' policy of allowing diabetics to inject themselves during flight. Changes of some sort to passenger travel would seem to be a certainty.

That's the clearest description of what's happened that I've read.

But what this incident demonstrates is that despite all the improvements in security since 9/11, determined terrorists can and will continue to mount terrorists attacks against western targets – and one day they will succeed.

COMMENT:  That is correct.  And yet, the history since 9-11 teaches us that, within a few weeks, the public will forget, and the Obama administration will not go out of its way to remind us.

December 27, 2009   Permalink

AIRLINE TERROR AND FOREIGN POLICY – AT 5:51 P.M. ET:  ANDY McCARTHY, WHO PROSECUTED MAJOR TERRORIST CASES IN NEW YORK, HAS A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT THE AIRLINE GUY AND HIS RELATION TO OBAMA'S "OUTREACH" TO THE WORLD.  FROM NRO:

I couldn't help but be struck by this ambiguous passage in the Washington Post's report this morning: "The incident marks the latest apparent attempt by terrorists to bring down a U.S. aircraft through the use of an improvised weapon, and set in motion urgent security measures that disrupted global air travel during the frenetic holiday weekend." No doubt the Post means that "the incident" has "set in motion urgent security measures," but it was just as clearly "an attempt by terrorists" — and a successful attempt, at that — to "set in motion urgent security measures." It sounds trite but it's worth repeating: The object of terrorism is to terrorize, and obviously the mission has been accomplished even if the plane was not brought down.

Correct.  And McCarthy notes that this incident took place despite all the well-publicized attempts by the Obamans to change American foreign policy and be kind to everyone:

I wonder what the media would be saying if George Bush were still president.

Hadn't Abdulmutallab heard that we are closing Gitmo? Hadn't he heard that we're phasing out military-commissions so we can show the world that we give even the worst mass-murderers civilian trials with all the rights of American citizens? Hadn't he heard that President Obama has banned torture (yes, yes, I know, actually Congress banned it 15 years ago — details, details ...)? Hadn't he heard that the president has called for "a new beginning" in America's relationship with the Muslim world? Hadn't he heard that this is our new, smarter strategy to safeguard the nation from man-caused disasters?

I suspect he's heard all those things.

Yes he has, and he isn't moved.  Is anyone surprised, except maybe the so-called "intellectual" elites, who thought it would be so easy?

December 27, 2009   Permalink

EMBARRASSMENT – AT 5:16 P.M. ET:  THERE IS BLOODSHED IN THE STREETS OF TEHRAN TODAY, AND THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IS REACTING IN ITS USUAL CEREBRAL, NON-CONFRONTATIONAL MANNER.  HOW INSPIRING.  FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES:

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Iranian police opened fire into crowds of protesters in Tehran on Sunday, killing at least 10 people and setting off a day of chaotic street battles that seemed poised to deepen the country’s civil unrest, as demonstrators in cities across Iran flooded the streets and fiercely fought back against security forces, witnesses and opposition Web sites said.

The protests, on the holiday commemorating the death of Hussein, Shiite Islam’s holiest martyr, were the bloodiest and among the largest since the uprisings that followed Iran’s disputed presidential election last June, witnesses said. Hundreds of wounded people were reported wounded, and the Tehran police said they had made 300 arrests.

The Iranian authorities’ decision to fire into crowds on the sacred Ashura holiday stunned many Iranians, and some said the violence appeared to be galvanizing more traditional religious people who have not been part of the protests so far. The Shah’s forces never fired on protesters during Ashura, wary of violating the day’s sanctity.

And our reaction?  Was it delivered by the president?  No.  By the vice president?  No.  By the secretary of state?  No.  By the White House press secretary?  No.

Our reaction to the Iranian drama was delivered by the spokesman for the National Security Council:

The White House condemned what it called the “unjust suppression” of civilians by the Iranian government on Sunday. “Hope and history are on the side of those who peacefully seek their universal rights, and so is the United States,” said the National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer.

TAKE THAT, MULLAHS!

I have no doubt that they're shaking in their boots in the mullah regime, now that they've been accused of "unjust suppression" (as opposed to "just" suppression) by the spokesman for a subdivision of the White House.  That's sort of like having a heart attack and being examined by the receptionist. 

The president should have spoken himself.  This is a critical moment in Iran.  Iran is at the center of our foreign policy.  The president is resting in Hawaii.  His new motto apparently is, "Vacations I can believe in."

December 27,  2009   Permalink

DEMS PULLING BACK – AT 11:46 A.M. ET.  FROM THE POLITICO:  THE ENDANGERED DEMOCRATS OF THE SENATE ARE SENDING AN SOS TO THE WHITE HOUSE – "DON'T CAP, DON'T TRADE, JUST SAVE US." 

Bruised by the health care debate and worried about what 2010 will bring, moderate Senate Democrats are urging the White House to give up now on any effort to pass a cap-and-trade bill next year.

“I am communicating that in every way I know how,” says Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), one of at least half a dozen Democrats who've told the White House or their own leaders that it's time to jettison the centerpiece of their party's plan to curb global warming.

The creation of an economy-wide market for greenhouse gas emissions is as the heart of the climate bill that cleared the House earlier this year. But with the health care fight still raging and the economy still hurting, moderate Democrats have little appetite for another sweeping initiative — especially another one likely to pass with little or no Republican support.

“We need to deal with the phenomena of global warming, but I think it’s very difficult in the kind of economic circumstances we have right now,” said Indiana Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, who called passage of any economy-wide cap and trade “unlikely.”

COMMENT:  I wish they'd gotten this idea before passing that health "reform" monstrosity.  And I hope they notice that the "science" behind global warming is falling apart day by day, in part because it isn't real science. 

If we have any luck in November – the midterm elections are little more than 10 months away – we can reverse the impact of 2008 and get the country back to at least borderline sanity.

December 27, 2009   Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 11:13 A.M. ET:  FROM AP, VIA BREITBART:

White House officials began their Saturday at 4 a.m. in Hawaii—9 a.m. on the clock in Washington—to prepare with counterparts across the government a briefing for Obama. National Security Council chief of staff Denis McDonough in Hawaii, homeland security and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan and others in Washington spoke with Obama at 6:20 a.m. by secure telephone conference call at the first family's rented vacation home.

The call lasted less than 15 minutes. Obama left immediately afterward for a trip to the gym.

COMMENT:  You know, you'd think appearances would count for something.  On Saturday morning, less than a day after the airliner incident, we weren't sure whether other planes had been targeted.  You'd think the president would have wanted to be photographed at his desk, on the job, not going to the gym.

A little too casual – like a lot of other things in this administration.

December 27, 2009   Permalink   

OH, AND THERE'S MORE FROM OUR ALWAYS-ON-GUARD GOVERNMENT – AT 10:46 A.M. ET.  FROM THE WASHINGTON POST: 

Quote one:

WASHINGTON -- Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says there is no indication that the man who attempted to destroy an airliner in Detroit on Christmas Day is part of a larger terrorist plot.

Quote two:

Federal officials have strongly suggested to lawmakers that the Nigerian man who attempted to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight has connections to the al Qaeda terrorist network in Yemen, according to a senior member of Congress in the House.

COMMENT:  I don't know how you reconcile those two quotes.  Napolitano is parsing words.  What she's saying is, even if the perp was part of Al Qaeda, this may have been an individual act.  Oh, right, I feel better already.  If they're sponsoring a guy to do this, what else are they doing?  Having connections to Al Qaeda in Yemen, or even in Beverly Hills, instantly makes someone part of a larger plot, in my view.

Hey, that's not bad:  Al Qaeda of Beverly Hills.  A bunch of fabulous guys with designer suicide belts.

Okay, okay.

December 27, 2009   Permalink

WHAT WILL THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION SAY NOW?  –  AT 10:19 A.M. ET.  FROM THE TIMES OF LONDON:

THE son of a prominent Nigerian banker, who allegedly attempted to blow up a transatlantic flight over America, was barred from returning to Britain earlier this year.

But that was not enough to keep him off an airliner headed for the United States.

Abdulmutallab studied engineering for three years at University College London. His father said yesterday that he had lost contact with his son after he left London in November last year.

He attempted to return to Britain for a six-month course in May this year but was refused by officials from the UK Border Agency.

“He was refused entry on grounds that he was applying to study at an educational establishment that we didn’t consider to be genuine,” a Whitehall official said.

So let's see.  Here's a guy whose own father reported him to the American Embassy in Nigeria – on grounds that he was becoming an extremist – and who was barred from Britain.

So far, American "authorities" are saying that there wasn't enough "specific" information on the chap to put him on a no-fly list, or even single him out for special attention.

Janet Napolitano, our fearless secretary of Homeland Security, said:

"You need information that is specific and credible if you're going to bar people from air travel," Napolitano said.

Huh?  The information we had seems awfully clear to me. 

Oh, Napolitano also had another gem:

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the thwarting of the attempt to blow up the Amsterdam-Detroit flight this week demonstrated that "the system worked."

Asked by CNN's Candy Crowley on "State of the Union" how that could be possible when the young Nigerian who sought to set off the bomb was able to smuggle explosive liquid onto the flight, Napolitano responded: "We're asking the same questions."

You cannot make stuff like that up.  That's what's protecting us. 

December 27,  2009   Permalink

SATURDAY,  DECEMBER 26,  2009

CHARGED – AT 8:44 P.M. ET:  The oppressed and alienated person, who, by the way, lived in a London mansion, has been formally charged.  From Fox:

A federal judge has told a Nigerian man that he is charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane on Christmas Day.

U.S. District Judge Paul Borman read 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab his charges in a conference room on Saturday at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, where he is being treated for burns.

Agents brought Abdulmutallab into the room in a wheelchair. He had a blanket over his lap and wore a green hospital robe.

The judge asked Abdulmutallab if he understood the charges against him. He responded in English: "Yes, I do."

Reportedly, this victim of society also told the judge that he can't afford a lawyer, despite his family's wealth.  Oh boy.  Now watch all the usual suspects with law degrees fall over themselves to defend this bird. 

There's also more detail on the device used in the bombing attempt:

Preliminary FBI analysis found that the device contained PETN, also known as pentaerythritol, a highly explosive device. FBI agents recovered what appear to be the remnants of the syringe from the vicinity of Abdulmutallab's seat, believed to have been part of the device.

Acted alone, acted alone!  Repeat that three times.  Why, everyone knows how to use PETN.  Can't you get it at Stop 'n Shop?

And the nation's chief lawyer speaks out, unfortunately:

"This alleged attack on a U.S. airplane on Christmas Day shows that we must remain vigilant in the fight against terrorism at all times," Attorney General Eric Holder said.

Brilliant insight.  Just brilliant.

"Had this alleged plot to destroy an airplane been successful, scores of innocent people would have been killed or injured. We will continue to investigate this matter vigorously, and we will use all measures available to our government to ensure that anyone responsible for this attempted attack is brought to justice."

Oh, groan.  Brought to justice.  Escort 'em to the courthouse.  Read 'em their Miranda rights.  Ah, it's wonderful to be back in the Clinton era. 

Can you imagine FDR, on the day after Pearl Harbor, saying to Congress, "Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – a serious violation of the law occurred in our territory of Hawaii."

Sure, Eric, bring 'em to justice...unless other branches of the government get to them first in a more clear-cut manner.

December 26, 2009   Permalink 

BRITS ON THE CASE – AT 7:18 P.M. ET:  No sooner is it revealed that the airline bomber attended London University – and not as a soccer cheerleader – that Brit reporters are on the case.  Here, London's Telegraph reveals what goes on at that institution of lower learning:

American public opinion will be quick to seize on this incident as yet more evidence that British universities, especially those based in the capital, are the natural habitat of potentially dangerous extremists.

As the Telegraph reported in September, the British authorities are still pursuing charges against Waheed Zaman, the former president of the Islamic Society at London Metropolitan University, whose trial for conspiracy for murder ended in a hung jury at Woolwich Crown Court.

And the beat goes on:

A Telegraph report three years ago established that London Metropolitan University had been extremely careless, to put it mildly, about providing facilities for jihadists.

More beats:

Earlier this month, Queen Mary college at London University was forced to withdraw an invitation to a spokesman for the Islamist group Hitzb ut Tahrir to address students.

Meanwhile, London University’s School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) continues to attract accusations that it provides a platform for extremists.

Finally:

I’m not accusing the university’s governing body of sympathising with terrorists, but many of its academics are knee-jerk anti-Americans who are more worried about causing offence to Muslim students than in keeping a watchful eye on political extremism. (SOAS is particularly shameless in this respect.) If, as seems likely, the Detroit incident is an example of a London University alumnus involved in Islamist terrorism, I bet you it isn’t the last.

COMMENT:  Very brave of this British writer to write that column.  It won't get him any party invitations from the London elite, but it will get him respect from people who admire decency.

December 26, 2009   Permalink

YES SIREE, THEY'RE YEMENI – AT 6:52 P.M. ET:  ABC News is reporting the Yemeni connection to the airline bombing attempt:

The plot to blow up an American passenger jet over Detroit was organized and launched by al Qaeda leaders in Yemen who apparently sewed bomb materials into the suspect's underwear before sending him on his mission, federal authorities tell ABC News.

Please note that Yemen is where the USS Cole was attacked in the year 2000.  Some 17 American sailors were killed when a hole was blown in the port side of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

Investigators say the suspect had more than 80 grams of PETN, a compound related to nitro-glycerin used by the military. The so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, had only about 50 grams kin his failed attempt in 2001 to blow up a U.S.-bound jet. Yesterday's bomb failed because the detonator may have been too small or was not in "proper contact" with the explosive material, investigators told ABC News.

Investigators say the suspect, Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian student whose birthday was last Tuesday, has provided detailed information about his recruitment and training for what was supposed to be a Christmas Day suicide attack.

It will be interesting to see how the appeasement crowd in the president's party handles this one.  It's apparent that Al Qaeda now has a powerful presence in Yemen, and that it's making a strong statement.

December 26, 2009   Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY - ON BARACK OBAMA - AT 12:31 P.M. ET:  From Dan Henninger at The Wall Street Journal:

Harry Reid's Senate had just secured its 60th vote for Mr. Obama's health-care reform. Whatever one's view, its trillion-dollar-plus cost is an agreed given. Days earlier the public saw Congress vote to raise the debt ceiling by almost $290 billion to make room for the needs of the $800 billion stimulus bill, the unprecedented $3.5 trillion budget, and the House's approval Dec. 16 of a new $154 billion jobs bill. Amid this President Obama said Monday: "We can't continue to spend . . . as if the hard-earned tax dollars of the American people can be treated like Monopoly money."

From the Wizard of Oz to Tiger Woods, the greatest danger to grand men is feet of clay. There are varieties of clay. For the politician known as Obama it is that, if he is shown to be a cynic, he is finished. "Monopoly money" was an everyone-agrees-with-me remark. But to everyone, it was simply fantastic.

The American people took a flyer on Barack Obama. If they conclude Obama is just the name of another lesser god, his fall could come as fast as his rise.

COMMENT:  Next year, 2010, may well be Obama's decisive year.  The honeymoon is over.  Obama must produce, not just for his political base, but for the great majority of Americans.

Kennedy, whose first year was disastrous in foreign policy, saved himself in his second year by a new toughness, and by succeeding, more or less, at the Cuban Missile Crisis, a crisis brought about because Khrushchev had perceived the young president as weak.  Obama has been doing some chest thumping recently.  Is he pulling a JFK, or just posturing before going back to his little red book?  We'll start to find out the week after next.

December 26, 2009   Permalink 

AIRLINER - FASCINATING UPDATE - AT 11:03 A.M. ET:  Well, well, well, it seems that the dear, deprived, and no doubt oppressed terrorist who tried to blow up an airliner near Detroit yesterday has a most interesting background.  Welcome to our version of "This is Your Life," from The Politico:

The man suspected of trying to blow up a Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit is the son of a Nigerian bank chairman and former oil minister, Nigerian press outlets reported Saturday.

Oh the poor baby.  Now we understand why he wanted to blow up a plane.  Poverty stricken.  Kept down by the capitalist warmongers and the Christian crusaders.  A young boy crying out for help against the jack-booted establishment.  Are you weeping for him?  Are you sending money to his defense fund?  Get those checkbooks out.  The ACLU's appeal is in the mail. 

Nigerian daily This Day reported that the suspect, Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, 23, is the son of a former head of Nigeria's First Bank PLC, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab. The elder Mutallab, who is a prominent businessman in Nigeria, resigned this month as head of the bank. His former government role is unclear but he also once headed the Nigerian-Arab Chamber of Commerce. The reported family tie may have originated at another Nigerian news site, Huhuonline.com.

Also of note: the suspect's mother or stepmother is from Yemen, according to the paper. Abdulmutallab reportedly told U.S. investigators that he traveled to Yemen, where he obtained the explosive device he was wearing and carrying on the flight yesterday.

Acted alone, acted alone, acted alone.  Memorize that.  Pop quiz in the morning.

And get this naughty bit:

The newspaper says the father, 70, recently grew "uncomfortable with the boy's extreme religious views and had six months ago reported his activities to the United States Embassy and Nigerian security agencies."

Investigators will surely be tracing those alleged contacts and trying to figure out why Abdulmutallab was, according to reports, not placed on a no-fly list or subjected to extra scrutiny before traveling to the U.S.

COMMENT:  Yeah, I think we'd like to know.  Once again there are indications - no proof yet, but indications - that our security is pre 9-11.

On the wealth issue, please recall that Osama bin Laden is also fabulously rich.  We've got to stop the oppression of Muslim millionaires that leads them into terrorism.

December 26, 2009   Permalink 

AND IN IRAN - AT 10:51 A.M. ET:  We have urged readers to watch Iran closely.  The only alternative to a military strike may well be regime change.  Can it happen?  Can the dissidents win?  That's what we're following:

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian security forces beat protesters in central Tehran on Saturday, a sign of mounting tensions ahead of planned opposition rallies to mark a religious festival and the death of a dissident cleric a week ago, a reformist Web site said.

The Rah-e-Sabz site said forces, including the elite Revolutionary Guard and the paramilitary Basijis, used tear gas and pepper spray in an attempt to disperse demonstrators, and broke the windows of cars that were honking horns in protest.

It said protests occurred in at least three areas: Imam Hossein Square, Pol-e-Choobi and Ferdowsi Square.

The report could not be independently confirmed because the Iranian government has banned foreign media from covering opposition protests.

Iran is marking the first 10 days of the Islamic month of Moharram, a time of mourning rituals for a revered Shiite saint.

The period culminates Sunday with Ashoura -- a day that coincides with the seventh day since the death of Iran's most senior dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. More memorials and possible protests are expected.

COMMENT:  And still there is no reaction from Washington.  We need to help the dissidents in any way we can - including money, if needed.  I've been in touch with thoughtful, rational people who believe that the mullah regime is on its last legs, and can be brought down.  Some informed sources say that March is a critical month.  They make the point that it took months of agitation to bring down the shah in the 1970s. 

December 26, 2009   Permalink

THE AIRLINER STORY - AT 10:18 A.M. ET:  From Fox:

Congressional lawmakers are calling the attempted terrorist attack at a Detroit airport "disturbing" and "extremely serious," with at least one senator pledging to hold hearings, as authorities moved to increase security in response at U.S. airports over the Christmas weekend.

An airline passenger, who claimed to have ties to Al Qaeda, was subdued Friday after he tried to ignite a powdery substance just before landing in Detroit, sources told FOX News.

The White House and lawmakers are calling it an attempted act of terrorism. The passenger, one of 278 passengers flying from Amsterdam to Detroit, is now in custody, according to a statement from the Transportation Security Administration.

Reflecting the severity of the incident, a number of lawmakers were tracked down on Christmas Day to be briefed on the incident. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., House Minority Leader John Boehner and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, were among them.

Collins, ranking Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, released a written statement questioning how the passenger was allowed on board and what the TSA can do to prevent such an incident from reoccurring.

And...

King, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said Mutallab "definitely has connections" to Al Qaeda.

King said Mutallab was not on any "no-fly list," but one source familiar with the investigation said the suspect did come up in another federal database after authorities checked his name on Friday.

COMMENT:  The administration has acted correctly, especially in bringing Republicans into the situation.  A little more bipartisanship like this would have helped in other areas.

Of course, the usual suspects are starting with the "he probably acted alone" stuff, but, given the alleged  perpetrator's foreign adventures, that doesn't seem very likely.  Even if he decided on this one act on his own, he clearly has been influenced by the "brothers" abroad.

December 26,  2009     Permalink