Patterico's Pontifications

5/16/2013

Obama Goes from Bad to Worse to WAAAAAY Worse on Terrorism

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 6:28 pm



Bad: we have terrorists in the witness protection program.

Worse: they fly on commercial airlines and are not on watchlists:

The Justice Department failed to provide the names of some terrorists in the witness protection program to the center that maintains the government’s watch list used to keep dangerous people off airline flights, the department’s inspector general said in a report Thursday.

As a result of the department’s failure to properly share information, some in the witness protection program who were on the “no-fly” list were allowed to travel on commercial flights, the federal watchdog said.

“It was possible for known or suspected terrorists to fly on commercial airplanes in or over the United States and evade one of the government’s primary means of identifying and tracking terrorists’ movements and actions,” the report said.

How could it get worse than that, you ask? I’ll tell you. This is how it got WAAAAAAAY worse:

The government has lost track of some of them.

The U.S. Marshals Service lost two former participants in the federal Witness Security Program “identified as known or suspected terrorists,” according to the public summary of an interim Justice Department Inspector General’s report obtained by CNN.

The Marshals Service has concluded that “one individual was and the other individual was believed to be residing outside of the United States,” according to the summary.

A Justice Department official said in response to follow up questions about the matter by reporters that the pair had left the program years ago and had been accounted for.

Oh, that’s OK, then. They found them, and they know where they are, and they know who the other terrorists in the program are, and there is no chance that any of this could happen again, because now, they are totally on top of the situation.

After its audit, the IG’s office reported “the department did not definitively know how many known or suspected terrorists were admitted into the WITSEC program,” among other “significant issues concerning national security.”

. . . .

The IG’s office notified the Justice Department of these problems and in the middle of remedying them, marshals discovered they could not account for the two missing people.

Justice Department officials on Thursday would not say they knew specifically where the two individuals were.

Oh.

[Patterico does some comic Jon Stewart style mugging for the camera.]

49 Responses to “Obama Goes from Bad to Worse to WAAAAAY Worse on Terrorism”

  1. Are they timing all these IG reports to come out at the same time so that our heads will explode or something?

    Patterico (9c670f)

  2. Is one of those terrorists in witsec using the name “Eric Holder” ?

    SPQR (768505)

  3. Oh. So some terrorists that were not real bad terrorists are on a witness protection program because they testified against worse terrorists…
    and we lost track of them.

    Isn’t this a bit like saying the 12 ft Tiger shark is swimming around the beach somewhere because it pointed out the 14 ft Great White for us? I mean, there is a 12 ft tiger shark out there, ok?

    Just another day fighting crime.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  4. I assume the Obama Administration found ways to delay the IG reports until after the 2012 election. However, since the Administration probably can’t can’t delay the reports until 2016 (although if that were possible could, no doubt it would), releasing the reports now is better than releasing them next year before the midterms or in 2015 when Obama will be crafting his legacy.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  5. What difference does this make?

    Ed from SFV (f9e560)

  6. You’re lucky I don’t charge extra for all the extra and duplicate words in my comments.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  7. Maybe Benghazi really is that bad afterall and they will chum the waters with blood sacrifices to throw everyone off.
    If this was a novel I would flip to the end.

    Then again, maybe prayers are being answered (in this specific arena).

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  8. Please go look at what I just posted about terrorists on the Benghazi email thread. The preesy’s decided to go after the real killers.

    elissa (04d91b)

  9. Thanks for the link elissa,
    but until further notice, I will assume anything and everything the one does is more about protecting his own interests than anything to do with what is right for the country.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  10. Obama and OJ Simpson are both on the golf course, searching for “the real killers.”

    (Yes, I know…OJ is actually in prison.)

    Elephant Stone (c306c5)

  11. OT. can you believe that, they caught him on tape, I guess old habits die hard, I figure they will go after the low hanging fruit of Khattalah, the ‘squirrel’ offered up last month.

    narciso (3fec35)

  12. So, Obama is like COL Klink and Holder is like SGT Schultz. Other than not being funny, it’s like something straight out of the sixties. Radical leftists and all.

    Speaking of going bad to worse on terrorism, in the email dump the permanent campaignistration took yesterday there is at 4:20pm on 9/14/2012 a note from the general counsel of the CIA warning people not to make assessments as to who was responsible for the attack as that might threaten a future criminal investigation.

    This is exhibit A that the administration has gone off its nut on fighting terrorism if it ever found the nut to begin with which I seriously doubt.

    Within 72 hours of the assault on the diplomatic facility in Benghazi and the general counsel of the CIA is discussing prior guidance from DoJ regarding potential future criminal prosecutions. This means that within 72 hours Obama decided the proper response to the Benghazi attack was a law enforcement investigation. Perhaps he decided it immediately.

    I believe this provides insight into why the administration never even attempted a military response. The US military has a track record of leaving potential crime scenes in a complete wreck.

    Ladies and gents, this administration is insane.

    Steve57 (9b1cdb)

  13. Are they timing all these IG reports to come out at the same time so that our heads will explode or something?

    I’m numb. Is this like the end of the Soviet Union or what? The feds can’t even do the public safety jobs they have but they want to control everything!

    Patricia (be0117)

  14. Yet they stalled the Bureau, who seems to have early on, figured the issue, Maybe since the former hadn’t worked with these militia groups previously, they had no preconceptions.

    narciso (3fec35)

  15. Patricia–I think they’re trying to get us so depressed and devoid of hope for the country that we won’t even care if the death panels get us.

    elissa (04d91b)

  16. When did IRS investigation begin?

    JD (ee8414)

  17. I think it started in Summer 2012 at the request of Congressional Republicans, so it’s not surprising that it took a year to complete. But it is frustrating how long this has been happening before it was uncovered.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  18. Of course, the top IRS officials knew conservative groups were being targeted as early as 2011, if not before. It’s shameful that it took an IG report to make them stop.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  19. I often mull over the nature of the socio-political scene in a place like Argentina, in which its president (an ultra-liberal) has made it illegal for any non-government-authorized person to analyze and publicize that country’s (actual) rate of inflation. A rate, btw, that is much, much higher than official government figures indicate. Argentinians who violate the restriction are fined a large sum of money.

    The human nature behind Evita-Peronism (or Cristina-Kirchnerism, or, hell, Barack-Obamaism, or Hillary-Clintonism), and, in turn, the politics that tolerate or nurture such extremism, lurks in a variety of people throughout the world, including in the US. I always keep that in mind when wondering just how bad and dysfunctional a populace and place can become. Of course, I’m sidestepping the example of areas like Detroit, Michigan, right here in North America.

    Mark (9ba6f2)

  20. Let’s not jump to conclusions people.

    By terrorists they probably just mean tea partiers and not the kind of people who create man caused disasters like the attacks in Benghazi.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  21. It takes a village to keep track of teh terrorists…

    Colonel Haiku (4f3f6e)

  22. Having seen this story,and watched some of this morning’s IRS hearings, how anyone could have any confidence in the federal government to do anything beyond the basics is beyond my understanding. Nobody knows anything. Nobody is answerable. Nobody has a clue what they are doing.

    Bugg (ba4ca9)

  23. Sharyl Attkisson has another great piece today which is linked through the post below at Hot Air. In it she talks to White House sources who basically confess to being idiots on 9/11 and afterward. The walls are crumbling.

    http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/17/obama-administration-sources-explain-benghazi-its-actually-closer-to-us-being-idiots/

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  24. Daley-

    Also love how Pickering/Mullen insist it was “too late” for FEST to respond, as if they had an printed schedule from the terrorists.They had NO IDEA whn this attack would end nor if it was an opening shot nor part of a bigger operation. So such a response is beyond ridiculous and approaching malfeasance.That team should have been deployed ASAP to Benghazi.

    Bugg (b32862)

  25. I guess this means Sharyl Attkisson is definitely leaving CBS.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  26. So the White House sources admit they were idiots when the attack occurred, but they won’t admit they’ve lied and covered up about it since.

    What’s most amazing is they must think this approach helps them or makes them look better.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  27. C’mon, everyone, Bill & Bernadine are just as entitled to fly to their summer vacation destination as any other anti-Semitic Jihadist is !

    Elephant Stone (65a34b)

  28. So the White House sources admit they were idiots when the attack occurred, but they won’t admit they’ve lied and covered up about it since.

    What’s most amazing is they must think this approach helps them or makes them look better.

    Comment by DRJ (a83b8b) — 5/17/2013 @ 1:07 pm

    DRJ,

    Maybe they just think it’ll keep them out of jail. Or cover their own butts while hoping Obama won’t be impeached.

    At least, I fervently hope they are worried about that. I want them sweating….well, not to put too fine a point on it, like they’ve cheated on their taxes big time, and are about to be audited.

    no one of consequence (325a59)

  29. John Fund:

    The recent spate of Washington scandals has some liberals finally confessing in public what many of them have said privately for a long time. The Obama administration is arrogant, insular, prone to intimidation of adversaries, and slovenly when it comes to seeing that rules are followed. Indeed, the Obama White House is a strange place, and it’s good that its operational model is now likely to be finally dissected by the media.

    Based on comments by the various Midwest folks here, that sounds like business as usual for Chicago political leaders.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  30. no one,

    But this must be a planned leak from the highest level, right? The prospect of criminal penalties doesn’t scare them or they wouldn’t do things like Fast & Furious, or refusing to obey court orders like the Lousiana federal court order re: drilling. These folks don’t fear anything except losing power.

    It’s the mid-level folks who need to be afraid because Obama will throw them under the bus, and that’s why Obama’s constant effort to punish whistleblowers helped protect him for the past 4-5 years.

    Maybe Obama thinks the media will forgive him if he admits he made a mistake, but he knows they will never forgive him if it’s shown he is another Nixon.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  31. Comment by DRJ (a83b8b) — 5/17/2013 @ 1:30 pm

    DRJ,

    I agree it’s the mid level people who are most afraid right now. They know only too well that Obama cares always and only about himself. And I agree this is a planned, high-level leak.

    But I’m slow about what your first para means. I thought the whole reason for the leak was that the high level people are scared right now too. If the media, because of their own self interest (AP phone records) turns on Obama, I think he’d be toast.

    That’s why I’m so glad BTW that the AP phone records grab was exposed. Could well be wrong but I thought that that was the only chance ever that the other scandals would get any legs.

    Must admit though I haven’t been following the timeline of the more-intensive digging the media started doing on the other two scandals – was it before or after the AP scandal came to light, in other words.

    no one of consequence (325a59)

  32. In most pursuits in life, being ignorant and/or incompetant is not considered to protect one from criticism or make one immune to consequences of your actions.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  33. I thought the whole reason for the leak was that the high level people are scared right now too.

    That may be true but I don’t think so. I think this is a planned leak to distract us from Obama and the higher officials, and put the focus on mid-level people. The first step is “We were idiiots.” The next step is “We were idiots … to believe the mid-level people who were giving us information and recommendations.”

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  34. MD,

    Incompetence is a defense for liberals as long as their intentions appear good. It’s their intent that matters, not their results.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  35. “… [Patterico does some comic Jon Stewart style mugging for the camera.] ”
    = = = = =

    You forgot to add, “and as the final credits roll, a rousing chorus of ‘The Country’s In The Very best of Hands’ can be heard…”

    A_Nonny_Mouse (57cacf)

  36. C’mon, Tommy “Beer Pong” Vietor has more gravitas than all of you teabaggers put together.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  37. daley @24, I read that Atkisson piece. I find it interesting that the WH is now pleading stupidity and one of her anonymous sources is saying that they really should have deployed the FEST because could have made a difference in many respects such as smoothing the way for those FBI to get from Tripoli to Benghazi. But as Bugg helpfully points out in the very next comment…

    25. Daley-

    Also love how Pickering/Mullen insist it was “too late” for FEST to respond, as if they had an printed schedule from the terrorists.They had NO IDEA whn this attack would end nor if it was an opening shot nor part of a bigger operation. So such a response is beyond ridiculous and approaching malfeasance.That team should have been deployed ASAP to Benghazi.

    Comment by Bugg (b32862) — 5/17/2013 @ 12:58 pm

    …the ARB that cleared everyone of any wrongdoing did so by saying it was already too late to deploy the FEST.

    So now the new narrative is to impeach the the ARB report that cleared them?

    The Obama junta and its apologists have been coming up with contradictory explanations for their malfeasance from the start. Which is it; was it too late as those yes-men Hillary! hand-picked to do a farce of an investigation, or was it not too late as the Obama admin narrative now pleads.

    On a broader level, was the situation uncertain as ol’ Leon insisted when he came up with the “Panetta Doctrine.”

    “(The) basic principle is that you don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s going on; without having some real-time information about what’s taking place,” Panetta told Pentagon reporters. “And as a result of not having that kind of information, the commander who was on the ground in that area, Gen. Ham, Gen. Dempsey and I felt very strongly that we could not put forces at risk in that situation.”

    Wow, sounds pretty darned uncertain.

    But then the other excuse is that forces couldn’t have gotten there “in time.” The FEST couldn’t have gotten there “in time.” We know this with certainty.

    Carney, Rice, Hillary!, et al can say with certainty that the attack in Benghazi was due to spontaneous anger over a video and had nothing to do with the administration or its policies while at the same time saying they don’t have the facts.

    It can’t be both because they’re contradictory. We didn’t attempt a response because the situation was too uncertain? Or we didn’t attempt a response because we were certain in that situation we couldn’t get help there in time?

    I think even the MFM may soon pick up on this.

    Steve57 (9b1cdb)

  38. From the Journal;

    The U.S. is seeing a spike in al Qaeda-related terror plots and threats against its embassies in Libya, Yemen and Egypt, say current and former U.S. officials citing domestic and foreign intelligence reports.

    narciso (3fec35)

  39. Would it be small of me to mention that while for a month law enforcement, local politicians and most of the intrepid east coast media told us they were valiantly searching for a motive in the Boston Marathon bombing, the FBI sat on the message Djhokar had left in the boat which said that:

    his brother ….. was a “martyr in paradise,” and that the victims in Boston were “collateral damage” for Muslim civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. He praised Allah and said, “When you attack one Muslim, you attack all Muslims.”

    Who could have possibly guessed.

    The note in the boat turned up that Friday night. Seems likely that Deval Patrick knew what was in it soon thereafter. But that Sunday, he goes on “Face the Nation” and Bob Schieffer asks him if he has “any clearer idea” why the “two young men” did it.
    “Not yet, Bob. Uh, and it’s hard, it’s hard for me and for many to imagine what could motivate uh, people to, uh, harm, uh, innocent men, women and children, uh, in the way that, uh, these two fellows did.”

    http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/columnists/howie_carr/2013/05/note_praising_allah_didn_t_float_pc_boat

    elissa (2fda5f)

  40. elissa, yes, it’s small of you to mention it. And racist. I denounce you.

    I denounce myself for linking to the clearly racist Dr. of Common Sense and Junkyard Dog and his video “Blacks will follow Obama to HELL”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnpWJGzAqpo&feature=player_embedded

    Clearly you, me, and the Junkyard Dog are white supremacists who can’t stand being ruled by a strong black man.

    Steve57 (9b1cdb)

  41. Well it’s kind of convenient that he wrote the note, perhaps with the blood from the injury he didn’t inflict on himself, meanwhile older bros, met with an exiled Chechen fighter in New Hampshire along with Mrs, Russell, but that doesn’t mean anything

    narciso (3fec35)

  42. Speaking of Boston,
    what could possibly be worrisome about this:
    http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/15/7-People-From-Singapore-Pakistan-Saudi-Arabia-Caught-Trespassing-By-Boston-Water-Supply

    whatever happened to the Saudi national in Boston that was designated a terrorist before he was released and people were told to look in the other direction?

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  43. It’s really quite amazing how much newsish type stuff there is out there that doesn’t ever seem to make it to “the news”.

    elissa (2fda5f)

  44. Per Business Insider It’s About Time To Discuss The Secret CIA Operation At The Heart Of The Benghazi Scandal

    At about 9:40 p.m. local time on Sept. 11, a mob of Libyans attacked a building housing U.S. State Department personnel. At 10:20 p.m. Americans arrived from a CIA annex located 1.2 miles away, to help the besieged Americans. At 11:15 p.m. they fled with survivors back to the secret outpost.
    Armed Libyans followed them and attacked the annex with rockets and small arms from around midnight to 1:00 a.m., when there was a lull in the fighting.
    Glen Doherty, a former Navy SEAL and CIA security contractor, was with a team of Joint Special Operations Command military operators and CIA agents in Tripoli at the time of the attack. When they received word of the assault on the mission, Doherty and six others bribed the pilots of small jet with $30,000 cash for a ride to Benghazi.
    At about 5:15 a.m., right after Doherty’s group arrived, the attackers began shooting mortars at the annex, leading to the death of Doherty and fellow former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor Tyrone Woods.
    At 6 a.m. Libyan forces from the military intelligence service arrived and subsequently took more than 30 Americans — only seven of whom were from the State Department — to the Benghazi airport.
    So the CIA’s response to go to the annex — after being held back for 20 minutes — saved American lives, but it also ended up exposing their covert presence.

    http://www.businessinsider.com/the-secret-cia-mission-in-benghazi-2013-5

    elissa (2fda5f)

  45. what was at the heart of the benghazi scandal was getting four more years for food stamp

    that’s pretty much the whole deal

    the rest of it was just some (typically) incompetently-executed foreign adventurism a bunch of ruling class dildos dreamt up, egged on by meghan’s coward daddy

    happyfeet (8ce051)


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