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CIA accuses Obama of double standard in Flight 253 bombing

by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | January 2, 2010 at 03:35 pm

377 views | 53 Recommendations | 10 comments

The CIA, cited by President Barack Obama as being "tested as never before" has accused him of holding a double-standard regarding the Intelligence agency. See also this Now Public story by snuffysmith.

On Thursday, Obama had strongly declared "systemic failures" within the CIA and other agencies, as the cause of the failures that led to the abortive Christmas Day underwear bombing aboard Flight 253 from Denmark.

It is clear, however, that the President feels pushed to make such a statement by GOP pundits, intent on making much of the security issue in an attempt to make the party in power seem weak. It took President George W Bush nearly a week to respond to the case of the 2001 attempted "shoe incendiary device", an anecdote told by MSNBC's Chuck Todd.

The CIA has also been blindsided by the revelation that the suicide bomber who killed 6 special agents last Wednesday was an informant within the agency.

Why the double standard? Here's one explanation: Democrats back in 2001, then out of power, chose not make it an issue the way that Republicans have now.
Indeed, looking back at 20th century -- the GOP charges after the Yalta conference, Nixon and the House Committee on Un-American Activities, the accusations that Democrats "lost" China, Joe McCarthy -- historians note that Republicans have been much more willing than their Democratic counterparts to play the national security card to score political points, especially when out of power.

"It has worked very well for them," presidential historian Robert Dallek tells First Read. "It is a talking point that has helped them win elections and hold off the Democrats… There is a long history going back here."

To be sure, Democrats have participated in demagoguery, too. Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accused Republicans of politicizing national security for placing a hold on Obama's pick to head the Transportation Security Administration. And Democrats have demagogued domestic programs like Social Security and Medicare for partisan advantage.

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Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 17:06 on January 2nd, 2010

Huffy Post and MSNBC my two favourite sources:) Good one smokey, mignini.

Susan Marie Kovalinsky

at 17:26 on January 2nd, 2010

Yes, of course both surpass even the Bible. Their flawless wisdom is legendary.

stejeb

at 18:45 on January 2nd, 2010

Hmmm.....

I've yet to see a politician, cut from any cloth, who didn't openly - and without favour - display serious tendancies towards displays of double standards.

Albert Milliron

at 19:55 on January 2nd, 2010

thanks for this story. Saw it on the wire. Good insight

t k kidwai

at 21:12 on January 2nd, 2010

The sole purpose of creating an instant and constant fear in public mind by raising bogey of security threat is,inter alia,to seek power,stay in power and criticise the opponent of not handling security concerns properly.Fact of the matter is that there is no external threat to US,on the other hand US is biggest threat to peace and security of small countries.

snuffysmith

at 22:35 on January 2nd, 2010

The CIA's hands are clean in this incident. They forwarded the "visa missile" information to the National CounterIntelligence Center, the sanctioned repository for such information upon receipt.

snuffysmith

at 10:22 on January 13th, 2010

“Actionable” Unintelligence: They’ll Have To Pry Our Ignorance From Our Cold Dumb Credos

In the recent writings and discussions I’ve perused regarding Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s attempted terrorist attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, I’ve heard a lot of talk about “actionable” intelligence. Did the Obama administration have “actionable” intelligence regarding Abdulmutallab? Did the CIA, FBI or Homeland Security have “actionable” intelligence and, if they did, why didn’t they connect the dots and take action? These are legitimate questions, but not ones that we as a people or culture like to answer.

The Fox News loop was quick to blame our young president for almost not keeping us safe. Some …

Full article

Susan Marie Kovalinsky

at 10:28 on January 13th, 2010

Thanks, snuffy

snuffysmith

at 11:02 on January 13th, 2010

Flight 253: Anatomy of a Cover-Up

A Failure to "Integrate and Understand," or a Thin Tissue of Lies

by Tom Burghardt

New revelations about the failed Christmas Day attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 continue to emerge as does evidence of a systematic cover-up.

Aaron Barnes (not verified)

at 18:39 on January 13th, 2010

I find it ironic that the one TV network that's not kissing Obama's ass, FOX, is somehow ufair when all the other networks were trying to figuer a way that the attempted terrorist attact was Bush's fault.