This isn’t exactly reassuring.
A day after saying that “the system worked” — despite the fact that a Nigerian man on the terrorist watch list was allowed to board an Amsterdam-Detroit flight with explosives strapped to his body — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is backtracking.
“Our system did not work in this instance,” Napolitano said this morning on NBC’s Today Show. “No one is happy or satisfied with that. An extensive review is under way.”
Here’s the full video:
On Sunday, Napolitano had told CNN: “One thing I’d like to point out is that the system worked.” This morning, she said she had been referring to the system of quickly notifying other flights, and law enforcement on the ground about the incident after it happened.
Here’s the relevant part of the transcript from Sunday’s CNN interview, so you can judge for yourself what Napolitano was referring to:
CANDY CROWLEY: So, just to finish up on the question– I do want to talk to you about security measures — but do you think — has there been any evidence of the Al Qaida ties that this suspect has been claiming?
NAPOLITANO: Right now, that is part of the criminal justice investigation that is ongoing, and I think it would be inappropriate to speculate as to whether or not he has such ties.
What we are focused on is making sure that the air environment remains safe, that people are confident when they travel. And one thing I’d like to point out is that the system worked. Everybody played an important role here. The passengers and crew of the flight took appropriate action. Within literally an hour to 90 minutes of the incident occurring, all 128 flights in the air had been notified to take some special measures in light of what had occurred on the Northwest Airlines flight. We instituted new measures on the ground and at screening areas, both here in the United States and in Europe, where this flight originated.
So the whole process of making sure that we respond properly, correctly and effectively went very smoothly.
So in a narrow sense, Napolitano may indeed have been referring to the notification system that kicks in immediately after an attack.
But the bigger picture is that “the system worked” seems like the wrong message for the government to put out after a clear slip up like this. And clearly the Obama administration agrees.
