Can President Obama Become Competent?

[Dr.House]

Bush has been gone for nearly a year.... when will this administration take responsibility?

Never?

Answer: 16 days.

Then he will be in his second year.

I respectfully disagree...

The ramp-up to the 2010 elections will be filled with "blame Booooosh" advertizements from the democratics seeking to hang on to their political careers...

 

[KissMy]

Obama is competant. If the full body scanners had been in place, this guy never would have been allowed on the plane.

Why weren't they in place? Go ahead, ask that question.

Because Republicans blocked funding. They feel these scanners are an, get this, an "invasion of privacy". This is the party of the Patriot Act and "spy on Americans" and "recorded phone calls" and they feel someone looking at your "kibbles and bits" is an "invasion of privacy? No wonder the entire world thinks they are as stupid and bag of rocks and more dangerous than al Queda. They ENABLE al Queda.

And Republicans keep saying they have no power.

Excuse me you retard partisan hack It was a TERRORIST CELL OF A MILITANT GROUP WELL TRAINED & FUNDED BY FOREIGN ORGANIZATIONS who had DECLARED WAR ON THE USA that took down the towers & 3000 fellow Americans. This act was NOT committed by 19 isolated American extremists who just happened to execute their plots at the same time on the same planes as you & your UTTERYL INCOMPETENT STUPID IDIOTIC RETARDED ASSHOLE leader Obama declares them to be.

Al-Qaedas mission was to wage war against America & strike TERROR & FEAR in the hearts of the American people. Just read Osama's Fatwa that Clinton regarded as an isolated extremist manifesto. Osama has ordered his trained army to kill Americans where ever you find them & destroy America. Fucktards like you & Obama just think we are dealing with a few isolated American extremists who deserve all the rights afforded us by our constitution that Al-Qaeda, Osama & Obama want to destroy.

Idiotic fucktard Obamacrats have no problem labeling Tea Party, ex military, & Timothy Mcveigh as TERRORIST! Timothy Mcveigh more closely resembles an isolated American extremist who used his friends farm to build his bomb. Mcveigh himself took on the burden of stopping the out of control tyrannical government agencies of ATF & FBI. His mission was not to strike TERROR & FEAR in the heart of the American people as Al-Qaeda did. His mission was to protect Americans from a tyrannical government violating American citizens rights afforded us by our constitution.

You really need to put down the paper cup & back away from the Obama Kool-Aid. The Christmass bomber did not board a plane in the USA. Why diden't the socialist country You & Obama idolize so much catch him with full body scanners? This had absolutly nothing to do with republicans. Assholes like Obamacrats enable al Queda by labeling fellow Americans as terrorist adding fuel to their cause.

FYI you idiotic Chicago criminal lying partisan hack!!! It was the Dumocrats ACLU (American Communist Lawyers Union) who prevented these full body scanners from being installed, not republicans.

 

[barenakedislam]

Obama is competant. If the full body scanners had been in place, this guy never would have been allowed on the plane.

Why weren't they in place? Go ahead, ask that question.

Because Republicans blocked funding. They feel these scanners are an, get this, an "invasion of privacy". This is the party of the Patriot Act and "spy on Americans" and "recorded phone calls" and they feel someone looking at your "kibbles and bits" is an "invasion of privacy? No wonder the entire world thinks they are as stupid and bag of rocks and more dangerous than al Queda. They ENABLE al Queda.

And Republicans keep saying they have no power.

Not so fast. Body scanners likely would NOT have picked up this particular kind of explosive, according to the Dutch who use such scanners.

Israel doesn't use body scanners and their national airline, El Al is considered the safest airline in the world as is Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Ironic, when you figure that Israeli aviation has been the single most desirable target for terrorists since the 1960s.

What do the Israelis do that the Americans don’t do? Well, they’ve had sky marshals since the 1960s. And profiling, racial, ethnic, and behavioral (most importantly).

But the most important question is: Who’s in charge? "The security in Israel is not like the security in the United States. El Al security and airport security are not in the hands of El Al or the airport, but in the hands of the secret service.

Richard Reid the shoe bomber tried to fly on El Al some years ago. They didn’t like the look of him, so they checked everything in his bags, and everything he was wearing, and then put an armed sky marshal in the seat right next to him. Even the time that he spent in Israel, they knew exactly where and when he went, and whom he met with."

Israelis have been chasing that kind of information ever since terrorists started blowing up airplanes and shooting El Al pilots. In 1969, one of the country’s first sky marshals, Mordechai Rachamim, became a national hero when he jumped off an El Al plane in Zurich with a handgun to subdue four terrorists who were shooting from the runway with automatic weapons.

There have been no hijackings of Israeli planes in recent years. While there are sky marshals on every flight, they are the last line of defense. If they have to spring into action, it means the security system has failed.

Every person who goes to the airport has already been checked. "The moment you buy the ticket, they have your name, your passport number, and they check it.

They check you again when you drive to the airport in Tel Aviv. What looks like a tollbooth is actually a security gate. Guards with automatic weapons eyeball everyone. If you drive through too quickly, there’s another guard further down the road. And the rings of security tighten as you arrive.

Before you even enter the terminal, you’ve been through three rings of security. The minute you buy your ticket, your name is sent to Israeli intelligence and to Interpol, so they know quite a bit about you before you even get to the airport. The second ring is a gate with armed guards inspecting your car. The third ring: Men with jackets and sweaters, concealing their weapons, who will watch you come in.

Three checks, and you haven’t even entered the terminal yet – which is where the real security begins. READ MORE: The Safest Airline - CBS News

I went through security in Tel Aviv. Upon arrival, as they searched my check-in bags, I was asked 30 -40 detailed questions. Then I was patted down in a private booth by an agent. After that, I had to take my carry on bags to another area where they took apart everything that would come apart - hair dryer, clock, radio, cosmetics, camera, etc. - and put it all back together in record time. They also asked me more questions while they were doing this. All this preceded even getting to the gate, where there was another search and more questions. I never felt so safe flying as I did on that flight.

And this isn't just done for El Al, but all flights that originate in Israel.



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9GHV9xOtBw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9GHV9xOtBw[/ame]

As for Obama's competency? That would depend how you see his motives. I see them as being out to destroy this country from within and he was hoping that by groveling to terrorists, he wouldn't have to be bothered with them. But that's when I'm being kind. In the back of my mind, I'm not sure that he is not somehow in cahoots with the terrorists themselves. It has already been revealed that he has people trying to make deals with the Taliban that would shock you. And his 'threats' on Iran are truly laughable.

 

[txlonghorn]

Obama is competant. If the full body scanners had been in place, this guy never would have been allowed on the plane.

Why weren't they in place? Go ahead, ask that question.

Because Republicans blocked funding. They feel these scanners are an, get this, an "invasion of privacy". This is the party of the Patriot Act and "spy on Americans" and "recorded phone calls" and they feel someone looking at your "kibbles and bits" is an "invasion of privacy? No wonder the entire world thinks they are as stupid and bag of rocks and more dangerous than al Queda. They ENABLE al Queda.

And Republicans keep saying they have no power.

Or maybe if the boy had been put on the RIGHT list when BO's people were warned, the scanners wouldn't have been necessary to catch him. The only ground I will give you here is that the scanners should have always been in place. Of course the ACLU is crying foul on them...go figure. But, this is purely the administration's fault. pure and simple. You can huff and puff all you want to blame the right...but you're gonna lose this one. The boy's father was trying to tell authorities that his son was dangerous a couple of months ago...but still no action. Still interested in trying to blame the right? I'm sure you will try to fine SOME way to tie it back to someone other any of Obama's appointees.

 

[txlonghorn]

Obama is competant. If the full body scanners had been in place, this guy never would have been allowed on the plane.

Why weren't they in place? Go ahead, ask that question.

Because Republicans blocked funding. They feel these scanners are an, get this, an "invasion of privacy". This is the party of the Patriot Act and "spy on Americans" and "recorded phone calls" and they feel someone looking at your "kibbles and bits" is an "invasion of privacy? No wonder the entire world thinks they are as stupid and bag of rocks and more dangerous than al Queda. They ENABLE al Queda.

And Republicans keep saying they have no power.

Not so fast. Body scanners likely would NOT have picked up this particular kind of explosive, according to the Dutch who use such scanners.

Israel doesn't use body scanners and their national airline, El Al is considered the safest airline in the world as is Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Ironic, when you figure that Israeli aviation has been the single most desirable target for terrorists since the 1960s.

What do the Israelis do that the Americans don’t do? Well, they’ve had sky marshals since the 1960s. And profiling, racial, ethnic, and behavioral (most importantly).

But the most important question is: Who’s in charge? "The security in Israel is not like the security in the United States. El Al security and airport security are not in the hands of El Al or the airport, but in the hands of the secret service.

Richard Reid the shoe bomber tried to fly on El Al some years ago. They didn’t like the look of him, so they checked everything in his bags, and everything he was wearing, and then put an armed sky marshal in the seat right next to him. Even the time that he spent in Israel, they knew exactly where and when he went, and whom he met with."

Israelis have been chasing that kind of information ever since terrorists started blowing up airplanes and shooting El Al pilots. In 1969, one of the country’s first sky marshals, Mordechai Rachamim, became a national hero when he jumped off an El Al plane in Zurich with a handgun to subdue four terrorists who were shooting from the runway with automatic weapons.

There have been no hijackings of Israeli planes in recent years. While there are sky marshals on every flight, they are the last line of defense. If they have to spring into action, it means the security system has failed.

Every person who goes to the airport has already been checked. "The moment you buy the ticket, they have your name, your passport number, and they check it.

They check you again when you drive to the airport in Tel Aviv. What looks like a tollbooth is actually a security gate. Guards with automatic weapons eyeball everyone. If you drive through too quickly, there’s another guard further down the road. And the rings of security tighten as you arrive.

Before you even enter the terminal, you’ve been through three rings of security. The minute you buy your ticket, your name is sent to Israeli intelligence and to Interpol, so they know quite a bit about you before you even get to the airport. The second ring is a gate with armed guards inspecting your car. The third ring: Men with jackets and sweaters, concealing their weapons, who will watch you come in.

Three checks, and you haven’t even entered the terminal yet – which is where the real security begins. READ MORE: The Safest Airline - CBS News

I went through security in Tel Aviv. Upon arrival, as they searched my check-in bags, I was asked 30 -40 detailed questions. Then I was patted down in a private booth by an agent. After that, I had to take my carry on bags to another area where they took apart everything that would come apart - hair dryer, clock, radio, cosmetics, camera, etc. - and put it all back together in record time. They also asked me more questions while they were doing this. All this preceded even getting to the gate, where there was another search and more questions. I never felt so safe flying as I did on that flight.

And this isn't just done for El Al, but all flights that originate in Israel.



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9GHV9xOtBw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9GHV9xOtBw[/ame]

As for Obama's competency? That would depend how you see his motives. I see them as being out to destroy this country from within and he was hoping that by groveling to terrorists, he wouldn't have to be bothered with them. But that's when I'm being kind. In the back of my mind, I'm not sure that he is not somehow in cahoots with the terrorists themselves. It has already been revealed that he has people trying to make deals with the Taliban that would shock you. And his 'threats' on Iran are truly laughable.

I like almost everything you said here...I'm not sure that BO is in cahoots with anybody... I think he's just very very very naive about how the world works. At least I hope that's all it is. Because if you're right...we're totally screwed. But all in all...great reply.

 

[WillowTree]

"The botched Christmas Day bombing seems to have taught the Obama administration—if only belatedly—that when you’re in a hole, stop digging. Team Obama’s response to the incident aptly demonstrated why the president was correct to describe his administration’s handling of Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab’s nearly successful effort to blow up Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight 253 as a “systemic failure,” “totally unacceptable,” and a “catastrophic” near miss. And the administration’s ham-handed statements and actions after that near miss only compounded the intelligence and security failures that led up to it.

As awareness grew of the enormity of the missteps involved in the security community’s failure to stop the young, wealthy, and well-connected Abdulmutallab from boarding the plane, Obama finally emerged from his secure compound in Hawaii—three days after the attack—to declare that a still-dysfunctional security system had brought the country to the edge of catastrophe. The president seemed to jolt his national-security team—most of whom, as far as the public was concerned, had gone missing in action after the incident—back to reality. Press secretary Robert Gibbs quickly dropped his happy-talk echoing of Napolitano and began discussing the flurry of “secure” telephone calls between the president and his national security team, CIA director Leon Panetta, and key members of the White House staff.

There may be a silver lining to this troubling affair. If it awakens the Obama administration to the threat that America faces, and if we begin to hear more about our war against “terrorists” rather than against “extremists,” it may well have been worth it. Happy New Year. It’s never too early to turn over a new leaf."
Obama's Near Miss by Judith Miller, City Journal 4 January 2010

In a word.. NO. HE CANNOT!

 

[NYcarbineer]

Obama is competant. If the full body scanners had been in place, this guy never would have been allowed on the plane.

Why weren't they in place? Go ahead, ask that question.

Because Republicans blocked funding. They feel these scanners are an, get this, an "invasion of privacy". This is the party of the Patriot Act and "spy on Americans" and "recorded phone calls" and they feel someone looking at your "kibbles and bits" is an "invasion of privacy? No wonder the entire world thinks they are as stupid and bag of rocks and more dangerous than al Queda. They ENABLE al Queda.

And Republicans keep saying they have no power.

Not so fast. Body scanners likely would NOT have picked up this particular kind of explosive, according to the Dutch who use such scanners.

Al Qaeda has already bought body scanners to figure out how to defeat them.

 

[saveliberty]

Obama is competant. If the full body scanners had been in place, this guy never would have been allowed on the plane.

Why weren't they in place? Go ahead, ask that question.

Because Republicans blocked funding. They feel these scanners are an, get this, an "invasion of privacy". This is the party of the Patriot Act and "spy on Americans" and "recorded phone calls" and they feel someone looking at your "kibbles and bits" is an "invasion of privacy? No wonder the entire world thinks they are as stupid and bag of rocks and more dangerous than al Queda. They ENABLE al Queda.

And Republicans keep saying they have no power.

Not so fast. Body scanners likely would NOT have picked up this particular kind of explosive, according to the Dutch who use such scanners.

Al Qaeda has already bought body scanners to figure out how to defeat them.

Link please.

 

[Darkwind]

Obama is competant. If the full body scanners had been in place, this guy never would have been allowed on the plane.

Why weren't they in place? Go ahead, ask that question.

Because Republicans blocked funding. They feel these scanners are an, get this, an "invasion of privacy". This is the party of the Patriot Act and "spy on Americans" and "recorded phone calls" and they feel someone looking at your "kibbles and bits" is an "invasion of privacy? No wonder the entire world thinks they are as stupid and bag of rocks and more dangerous than al Queda. They ENABLE al Queda.

And Republicans keep saying they have no power.

Your stupidity never ceases to amaze us all. First...the Republicans haven't controlled anything in Congress since 2006 and....the hammer drops....

Dodd attached an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010

Dodd’s amendment SA 1443 states in part,

“The total amount of appropriations under the heading ‘AVIATION SECURITY’ under the heading ‘Transportation Security Administration’ under title II of this Act, the amount for screening operations and the amount for explosives detection systems under the first proviso under that heading, and the amount for the purchase and installation of explosives detection systems under the second proviso under that heading are reduced by $10,000,000.”

have a lovely day rdeanyweenie

VICTORIA TAFT: Democrat Diverted Millions of Dollars From Aviation Security and Explosives Detection

That is going to leave a mark.

 

[oreo]

"The botched Christmas Day bombing seems to have taught the Obama administration—if only belatedly—that when you’re in a hole, stop digging. Team Obama’s response to the incident aptly demonstrated why the president was correct to describe his administration’s handling of Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab’s nearly successful effort to blow up Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight 253 as a “systemic failure,” “totally unacceptable,” and a “catastrophic” near miss. And the administration’s ham-handed statements and actions after that near miss only compounded the intelligence and security failures that led up to it.

As awareness grew of the enormity of the missteps involved in the security community’s failure to stop the young, wealthy, and well-connected Abdulmutallab from boarding the plane, Obama finally emerged from his secure compound in Hawaii—three days after the attack—to declare that a still-dysfunctional security system had brought the country to the edge of catastrophe. The president seemed to jolt his national-security team—most of whom, as far as the public was concerned, had gone missing in action after the incident—back to reality. Press secretary Robert Gibbs quickly dropped his happy-talk echoing of Napolitano and began discussing the flurry of “secure” telephone calls between the president and his national security team, CIA director Leon Panetta, and key members of the White House staff.

There may be a silver lining to this troubling affair. If it awakens the Obama administration to the threat that America faces, and if we begin to hear more about our war against “terrorists” rather than against “extremists,” it may well have been worth it. Happy New Year. It’s never too early to turn over a new leaf."
Obama's Near Miss by Judith Miller, City Journal 4 January 2010

Do I believe that this incident is going to change Obama's ideology regarding terrorism? NO--absolutely not.

Until Obama either directs Eric Holder or fires him--& they stop giving miranda rights to foreign terrorists--& stop viewing terrorists organizations as criminals versus enemy combatants--& "keeps" GITMO open--& tries the remaing terrorists in a military tribunal--& stops referring to terrorists who commit terrorist acts as human disasters--& will untie the hands of the CIA--regarding interrogation of these monsters--then he hasn't changed what-so-ever. Also--remember that he attacked the Patriot Act at every single opportunity during his campaign.

The recent change in rhetoric--is simply because of his poll numbers & that's it. It took Obama 72 hours to even respond to this near miss. It was because he was listening to his "political" team as to what to say, & they had to program it into his teleprompter. Then Obama came out & said this was an "isolated" incident--





"A terrorist will always seek the least path of resistance" This administration has shown them their path--through the policies they have enacted.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Bush has been gone for nearly a year.... when will this administration take responsibility?

Never?

Answer: 16 days.

Then he will be in his second year.

I respectfully disagree...

The ramp-up to the 2010 elections will be filled with "blame Booooosh" advertizements from the democratics seeking to hang on to their political careers...

I accede to your superior understanding of the left.

 

[Dr.House]

Answer: 16 days.

Then he will be in his second year.

I respectfully disagree...

The ramp-up to the 2010 elections will be filled with "blame Booooosh" advertizements from the democratics seeking to hang on to their political careers...

I accede to your superior understanding of the left.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Oh gee, the word 'domestic' magically jumped into the equation. I hope no one was hit by a moving goalpost.

This is the best obfuscation you could come up with?

No quibbling about the number of such events and the time of the Obama administration?

I guess I win, and you had to imbibe your barnyard terminology.


But I liked the goalpost thing.

Your link is incoherent. One moment it's 'domestic' terrorism, the next it's events in Somalia and Pakistan.

And since the vast majority are FOILED attempts or plots, how exactly does that reflect negatively on Obama?

And the fog rolls in.

The first line of the Time article states "You may not have noticed, because most of the plots were foiled, but 2009 saw an unprecedented surge in terrorism events on U.S. soil. "


I suggest that said "unprecedented surge in terrorism " is the operative concept.

It is what casts the lie to the 'change,' assumed to be change for the better, promised in Candidate Obama's run for Presidency, the label 'incompetent' to his adminstration, and the purpost of the OP.

Or, are you willing to thump your chest, such as it is, proclaim your proud endorsement of this administrations record re: terrorism and attempted acts of terrorism?

Careful with the answer, as it will be the litmus test of your cerebral abilities.

 

[JakeStarkey]

The third paragraph of yours, PC, presumes a false conceit. You assume (your mistake) that the Administration is bumbling, instead of realizing the issues inherent that make matters far tougher when you are dealing with a single terrorist.

And do remind me of the death total of Americans due to terrorism (you can include our battle dead) during the Bush years.

 

[Oldandtired]

Oh gee, the word 'domestic' magically jumped into the equation. I hope no one was hit by a moving goalpost.

It was the subject of the prior posts NYCarbineer. You were aware of that, but couldn't resist a dodge instead of admiting you are wrong.

Conveniently excluding the terrorist attacks on Americans for example in Iraq for 6 years that GW Bush needlessly put in harm's way...

Huh?
GW BUsh sent them in via an executive order?
I thought sending troops into harms way was a decision made by congressional debating and voting.

Get off the Bush thing folks. It lost its legs with the rational minded months ago.

 

[LuckyDan]

Do you realize that under President Obama, there have been more terrorism incidents than any year since 2001?

And do you realize that the communication protocol between security agencies was the same under Obama as it was under Bush?

EXCEPT the mindset is NOT the same. Obama declared there is no war and that we should not even use the term terror or terrorism. HIS mindset lead to the army Major killing all those people in Texas because no one wanted to question the man.

Low level people in any organization get the idea when told to go easy. When political correctness is more important then the job or protecting the people.

Add to that an Attorney General conducting criminal investigations of the interrogators and it goes beyond mere poltical correctness and becomes a CYA operation from the start. How rough are you going to get if it may mean prison?

 

[Oldandtired]

And do you realize that the communication protocol between security agencies was the same under Obama as it was under Bush?

EXCEPT the mindset is NOT the same. Obama declared there is no war and that we should not even use the term terror or terrorism. HIS mindset lead to the army Major killing all those people in Texas because no one wanted to question the man.

Low level people in any organization get the idea when told to go easy. When political correctness is more important then the job or protecting the people.

Add to that an Attorney General conducting criminal investigations of the interrogators and it goes beyond mere poltical correctness and becomes a CYA operation from the start. How rough are you going to get if it may mean prison?

Possible criminal charges against CIA operatives for doing what they were told to do....court marshall of Navy Seals for ALLEGEDLY punching a terrorist in the tummy...."The police acted stupidly"...Black Panthers caught on tape intimidating possible voters yet get off with charges dropped.....

Yeah....sure....I feel real safe.

 

[PoliticalChic]

The third paragraph of yours, PC, presumes a false conceit. You assume (your mistake) that the Administration is bumbling, instead of realizing the issues inherent that make matters far tougher when you are dealing with a single terrorist.

And do remind me of the death total of Americans due to terrorism (you can include our battle dead) during the Bush years.

Starky, your writing leaves much to be desired.

It would be far more efficacious if you were to paste the paragraph to which you refer, to show what you refer to as my 'conceit,' and whether it is my assumptions to which you refer or to those of Judith Miller, and/or the Time article.

Unless, of course, you are merely hiding behind the enigmatic nature of your writing.

I await a more formulaic post.

 

[JakeStarkey]

My writing is insightful, incisive, and to the point.

You have not identified a problem for this administration.

I merely pointed out the inherent inconsistency of your comment.

Are you able to understand the above?

 

[Si modo]

EXCEPT the mindset is NOT the same. Obama declared there is no war and that we should not even use the term terror or terrorism. HIS mindset lead to the army Major killing all those people in Texas because no one wanted to question the man.

Low level people in any organization get the idea when told to go easy. When political correctness is more important then the job or protecting the people.

Add to that an Attorney General conducting criminal investigations of the interrogators and it goes beyond mere poltical correctness and becomes a CYA operation from the start. How rough are you going to get if it may mean prison?

Possible criminal charges against CIA operatives for doing what they were told to do....court marshall of Navy Seals for ALLEGEDLY punching a terrorist in the tummy...."The police acted stupidly"...Black Panthers caught on tape intimidating possible voters yet get off with charges dropped.....

Yeah....sure....I feel real safe.

Nice summary. I give Obama a vote of no confidence in having any desire whatsoever in protecting the citizenry (well, the US citizenry).