Brennan: ‘Clearly The System Didn’t Work On That Day’
Appearing on Meet The Press, Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan bluntly admitted that there were intelligence failures in the Flight 253 attempted bombing. “Clearly the system didn’t work on that day, because Abdulmutallab should never have gotten onto that plane with those explosives,” said Brennan, who also said that President Obama “needs to hold everybody accountable, including me.”
Brennan: Either Cheney Is ‘Willfully Mischaracterizing’ Obama’s Position, ‘Or He’s Ignorant Of The Facts’
Also during his Meet The Press appearance, Brennan rebutted former Vice President Dick Cheney’s latest attacks on the Obama administration, over the handling of the Flight 253 case: “Either the vice president is willfully mischaracterizing this president’s position … Or he’s ignorant of the facts. And in either case, it doesn’t speak well of what the vice president’s doing.”
Brennan: Some Gitmo Detainees Will Go To Yemen
Appearing on State of the Union, Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan said that the Obama administration will still send some Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo Bay back to Yemen. Brennan said that the Flight 253 attempted bombing was a “unique incident” that will not affect plans to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, and that the government is working closely with the Yemeni government: “We’re going to do this the right way at the right time.”
Hoekstra On Flight 253 Fundraising Letter: ‘I Am Proud Of The Role That I Have Played In Making Sure That America Is Safe’
Appearing on This Week, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) defended his use of the Flight 253 attack as the basis of a fundraising letter for his gubernatorial campaign. “I am proud of the role that I have played in making sure that America is safe,” said Hoekstra. He further explained: “I’ve been right on the facts all along on this — on the recent attacks, the connections with Yemen. The — the differences between this administration and myself have been purely substantive. They have been policy. I’ve been trying to drive this administration in a policy direction that keeps America safe.”
Lieberman: Yemen Is ‘Fertile Ground’ For Al Qaida
Appearing on This Week, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) explained his comment last week that Yemen would be tomorrow’s war if America doesn’t act preemptively: What I meant to say was that in part because we have put so much pressure on Al Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Waziristan, they’re moving to Yemen. And it’s a big country, very sparsely populated, a government facing two different uprisings in different parts of the country. This is fertile ground for this — this group to — to fester in.”
Kit Bond Blasts Bush Administration For Releasing Gitmo Prisoners
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) criticized the Bush administration for releasing prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, and said the Obama administration should not repeat that mistake: “Well, I think that the Bush administration really needs to answer for releasing the detainees to Saudi Arabia and other places. And we’ve seen that’s a mistake. And I know — I’m sure they would admit that’s a mistake. But to continue to make the same mistake would be a tragedy. And I really think that failing to recognize that we are under attack — the Al Qaida and its related activities and related allies have declares war on us. They’re coming after us.”
DeMint: Obama Not Focused On Security, ‘Distracted By Other Things’
Appearing on State of the Union, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) declared that President Obama is “distracted” and not focusing on the issue of terrorism. “It begins with not even been willing to use the word,” said DeMint. “Aside from the semantics, he’s been completely distracted by other things, and he is not focused on building the security and intelligence apparatus of our country.”
