Obama Warned About Possible Holiday Threats Three Days Before Christmas. Where Was Our Warning?
Ok. Let’s be reasonable. We don’t know the substance of the warning he got yet, but damned if I am going to watch this get buried by the MSM. We need to know the truth.
If he was a Republican this would be the headline for the next 10 weeks…
Obama was warned about the threats to the homeland in a Christmas briefing before he flew off to his golfing and snorkling Hawaii holiday vacation.
Newsweek reported:President Barack Obama received a high-level briefing only three days before Christmas about possible holiday-period terrorist threats against the US, Newsweek has learned. The briefing was centered on a written report, produced by US intelligence agencies, entitled “Key Homeland Threats”, a senior US official said.
The senior Administration official, who asked for anonymity when discussing sensitive information, said that nowhere in this document was there any mention of Yemen, whose Al-Qaeda affiliate is now believed to have been behind the unsuccessful Christmas Day attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to bring down a transatlantic airliner with a bomb hidden in his underpants. However, the official declined to disclose any other information about the substance of the briefing, including what kind of specific warnings, if any, the President was given about possibly holiday attacks and whether Yemen came up during oral discussions.
According to the senior official, the holiday threat briefing, one in a series of regularly-scheduled sessions with top counter-terrorism officials, was held in the White House Situation Room on December 22. Present were representatives of agencies involved in counter-terrorism policy and operations, including Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FBI Director Robert Mueller. The CIA and National Intelligence Directors Office were represented by deputy agency heads: CIA deputy director Steven Kappes, and David Gompert, the principal deputy to National Intelligence Czar Dennis Blair. Also present was Michael Leiter, director of the National Counter-terrorism Center, a unit of the Intelligence Czar’s office which was created after 9/11 to ensure that intelligence reporting about possible terrorist plots was shared quickly among all US agencies who might have some capability to do something about it.
It looks like he was too busy getting ready for his vacation to warn the American public.
Are you Freaking Stupid? 
Gee — let’s see exactly what the Republican response was to the August 6th, 2001 briefing……
….oh you’re just playing politics….
So at least have the audacity to spank Bush’s @$$ on the same swing you’re preparing for Obama … Or is that hypocrisy seething through your veins right now….
Thought so…
Yes, let’s look at that briefing, titled “Bin Laden determined to strike in US”. Oddly, it was not titled “Bin Laden will strike on or about Sept. 11”, however, Obama’s discussed a holiday attack.
Oh, and lets not forget that before 9/11, we didn’t really believe that an attack on US soil was going to take place. Obama has no such excuse. In 2009, there were 13 terror related attacks in the US. From 9/12 until Obama took over there were under 19. Little bit of a pickup under Obama, huh? Most of us learned to take terrorism seriously on 9/11. Obama learned to call terrorism “man-made disasters”.
So, at least know what you are talking about BEFORE you make a ridiculous apples and oranges comparison like that.
Seems like you are playing politics… badly. Sadly, the president is playing as well, instead of leading.
And one last thing. FoxNews has this on the front page, as it did when the Bush briefing came out. Go take a look as ABC, CBS, NBC. Interestingly, as I write this, there is nothing. It was a continual event on those sites when it was against Bush. Is that hypocrisy?
Thought so…
ayfs,
LOOK at the quote up above again:
“However, the official declined to disclose any other information about the substance of the briefing, **INCLUDING WHAT KIND OF SPECIFIC WARNINGS, IF ANY**, the President was given about possibly holiday attacks and whether Yemen came up during oral discussions.”
So – we don’t know what SPECIFIC WARNINGS there were or weren’t brought up except that he received high level briefings three days before the “underwear bomber incident…”
Now if we believe the Republican rhetoric ala Dick Cheney — we had nothing to worry about because he and his best buddy Bush were victorious over Saddam and Bin Laden – so there’s nothing to worry about ….
….oh, that’s right — this is the Republican two-step….
But then – your credibility took a really big nose dive:
“In 2009, there were 13 terror related attacks in the US. From 9/12 until Obama took over there were under 19.”
Really? 19 terror related attacks?
13 terror related attacks in the US? Are you really sure about that?
Hmmmm…. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents,_2009
Seems like there was only four in 2009. (including those that were deemed “acts” that didn’t materialized or no one was killed or injured.)
There were three in 2008.
There was one in 2007.
There were four in 2006.
Nice try though. Next time do a little more fact-checking before espousing such incredulous numbers that have as much merit as the credibility of the former administration….
Oh — assuming you know *how* to fact check … which doesn’t seem to be a very strong conservative concept…
…Where are those weapons of mass destruction again??
…That infallible link between Bin Laden and Saddam??
Sorry ayfs … facts trump fiction.
Haha. Did you ACTUALLY use Wiki to “fact check”? Too funny?
How about this: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1949329,00.html
They even list a bunch of them. Perhaps you should try real facts, something liberals ignore when they don’t like them.
If that’s your “source” … then let’s see how many instances they site….
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 …. wait… what… no 10? no 11? no 15? no 19???
So either you’re full of it, you’re ignorant, or you’re so one-track-minded that you can’t fathom the big picture …. and I’m guessing you’re all three….
Let me illustrate it in crayon so that hopefully you’ll understand a little better:
– The U.S. has invaded and toppled the leadership in two Middle Eastern countries within the last decade.
– Resentment for our “role” in Iraq and Afghanistan has been steadily on the decline thanks solely on the inept foreign policy of the previous administration.
– If you bother to your latest article … they are attempts, conspiracies to attempt, or even just thinking out loud by nutballs that really should be removed from the gene pool.
– The article only makes mention of a “surge” in activity, which isn’t really surprising since the Afghan security force we’re trying to arm and train are now trying to kill us. The longer we are there – the more resentment, the more terrorist activities, the more resilient our adversary has become.
So maybe if we were dawdling and twiddling our thumbs with 8 years of prevailing stupid foreign policy decisions — that maybe, just maybe we wouldn’t be having nutjobs like the underwear bomber trying to pull off something that could’ve been incredibly heinous and tragic.
Oh — and if the Republicans were serious about airline safety — maybe they shouldn’t be obfuscating the nomination of the TSA successor ….
….unless you’re going to say that POLITICS is more important than NATIONAL SECURITY…. then go ahead and let your political pride trump your patriotism…..
Correction: Resentment for our “role” in Iraq and Afghanistan has been steadily on the climb …
… when you have the Afghan security forces now turning OUR guns, OUR training on OUR troops … then what you have going on isn’t working anymore….
Since you are obviously trumping your “acts of terrorism on US soil” claim with false and misleading information … I’ll trump you one better:
The Religion Of Peace website is a site dedicated to the Jihad on all countries against Islam … their tally in 2009 ironically matches the tally found on wikipedia…. Four attacks in 2009…… Not the nine that time.com is reporting because the Jihadists are looking at success rather than attempts.
That’s like charging you for assault when you threatened me — but didn’t actually hit me…..
….but by all means – keep spouting your invisible source or wrapping your flawed logic with coleslaw….
You want the Republicans to allow the TSA to be lead by someone who used his power to do background searches on his estranged wife’s boyfriend and then lied to Congress about it?
As usual, I don’t expect a liberal to actual read any facts that disagree with the ideas they have. To quote the article that you came up with “9”, let’s read the second paragraph:
“‘There appears to be an increase in [terrorist] activity in the U.S.,’ warns Jenkins, who calculates that there have been 32 terrorism-related events on these shores since 9/11 and that 12 of them occurred in 2009.”
But you are right. It was 20, not 19. My mistake. I was off by 1, you were off by 24. Odd that you looked it up and got it wrong, but as I said, Liberals only listen to the parts they like.
Oh, and as for you trying to find other sources to back up your silly Wiki “proof”, try checking with the FBI, NCTC, RAND Corp., etc. They all come up with numbers a wee bit higher than yours.
Of course, if the Times article said “it was Bush’s fault”, you would accept it as absolute fact.
*laughs*
I asked you for your source – and you point to the Time article instead of providing links to your contrived claim. Alright, I asked you again for your sources … you point to Mr. Jenkins’ quote wherein he starts pulling numbers out of thin air and you want the rest of the world to accept that as gospel … even though I provided a list of ACTUAL attacks on U.S. soil. But NOW you want me to even do your homework for you… If you can’t find ONE …. simple …. hyperlink … to substantiate your claim — then just admit that.
But what really did it for me — is when you want to dibble dabble with useless political bullcrap vs. the national security of this country. Just like how all the Republicans got in a tizzy about Clinton – right when Bin Laden was gathering strength for 9/11….
Sound familiar?
So I tell you what Mr. Freaking Stupid — enough of the “Country First” bullcrap. Not only have you proven that you have no substantiated facts to support your baseless claim … but you’re a useless unpatriotic republican fleabag. Trusting you and your teflon party of choice have about as much patriotism in them as trusting a pedophile on a playground.
You’re disgusting.
I don’t know who you are or what planet you came from — but at least you’re living up to your blog name … because YES – I don’t think it’s much of a reach to conclude exactly how freaking stupid you really are … not to mention being one of the most unpatriotic jerk-wipes I’ve come across in a really long time.
Good riddance Mr. Stupid…. Keep living up to your name — it seems to be a natural gift of yours.
As I said, go do some looking yourself. FBI, NCTC, Rand Corp. They all disagree with you. As normal, instead of reading what I wrote and looking for the truth, you, like all liberals fall into name calling. Very sad.
And as always, the real point of the discussion is bypassed completely. Obama knew a holiday attack was likely and ignored it. We Now we find out that not only did he know about when, he knew about the how part as well. Obama’s people were briefed on the use of “underwear” bombs in Oct., but as the person who gave the briefing commented, he was concerned because “he didn’t think [U.S. officials] were paying enough attention” to the growing threat from Al Qaeda in Yemen”
Why? Maybe this?
“Several weeks ago, STRATFOR heard from sources that the FBI and other law enforcement organizations had been ordered to “back off” of counterterrorism investigations into the activities of Black Muslim converts.”
But its ok. “The system worked”, right. Time and the Rand Corporation show that the terror related incidents in the US have skyrocketed since Obama took over.
So, how many have died in Afghanistan? More than under Bush. 293 died in 2008. 512 died in 2009, after Obama sent his people in. Obama finally DID something after months of his generals begging for troops. This is the war that Obama said, “We have to win”. How about in Iraq? That country that all the Dems said was lost? Zero.
This is the commander-in-chief. He ignores the truth, ignores his generals, and plays political games with US civilian and military lives to push his agenda.
Finally, I think its interesting. I present a link to an article on a the website of a liberal leaning, national magazine that, as part of the article, use information from the well-respected, bipartisan RAND Corp. That, of course, is not correct and needs further proof to you. But a Wiki article, which as we all know is oh so accurate, is gospel to you and needs no further study simply because you like the results. http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2009/02/10/25-biggest-blunders-in-wikipedia-history/
Enjoy the Kool Aid.