Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Failed to Connect the Dots?


Failed to Connect the Dots?

Too much, too soon.

On Sunday night December 13, 2009, President Obama gave himself a solid B+ on his first year in office. On a ABC television special titled Oprah's 'White House Christmas Special', the president told Ms. Winfrey that on the passage of Health Care Reform he gave himself an A-, and for overall performance during his first 11 moths in the Oval (Global) Office he gave himself a B+.1

Today (1/5/09), President Obama emerged from a meeting with his national security officials to admit that they "failed to connect the dots". At a news conference the president acknowledged that the underwear bomber incident could have been prevented with the information that the intelligence bureaus had on the perpetrator. President Obama said that the authorities failed to understand and integrate the red flags, and watch lists that indicated that
Abdulmutallab was a potential radical or terrorist. Abdulmutallab was able to board airplanes in Nigeria and Holland with an explosive device which he unsuccessfully attempted to detonate when he arrived in the U.S. on Christmas day.2

After a full court press for National Health Care Overhaul legislation in the House of Representatives, and in the Senate; President Obama left for a Hawaii vacation hours after the final decisive vote in the Senate on Christmas Eve; The following day a Nigerian Muslim was overpowered when he attempted to detonate plastic explosives concealed in his under garments as he approached his final destination on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 en route to Detroit, Michigan.3

President Obama was silent for at least 72 hours following the averted terrorist incident until he gave a radio statement on Monday December 28, 2009. Obama continued his 'vacation' in Hawaii until he returned to the mainland (White House) yesterday, January 4, 2009.

Last Wednesday (12/30/2009), 7 CIA agents operating in Afghanistan were killed when a Jordanian "Triple" agent (as per NPR News 1/5/2010) detonated a vest of explosives during a meeting at Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost Province.4

The president and the first-lady flew (in vain) to Copenhagen, Denmark on 10/01/09, to make a personal appearance before the International Olympic Committee for Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympic games.5

House Minority Leader John Boehner torched President Barack Obama Wednesday for hisEuropean trip to pitch the Chicago Olympics bid, criticizing the president for "going to go off to Copenhagen when we've got serious issues here at home that need to be debated."6

The president also made two other trips to Scandinavia within weeks:
1.Norway - Oslo: December 10 - First trip to Noway. Obama was accepting the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

2.Denmark - Copenhagen: December 18 - Obama made a speech at the Bella Center to attendants of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 (Cop7).7


  • An U.S. Army psychiatrist of the Muslim faith, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 12 people and wounding 31 others, was shot but captured alive on Thursday, November 5, 2009.8

  • An uninvited northern Virginia couple, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, crashed the White House party which President Obama held in honor of visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 24.9

When you look back at the beginning of the Obama Administration when they attempted to critique everything the previous administration did; They promised to close down Camp X Ray in Guantanamo, they promised not to torture enemy combatants, they promised to bring the troops home asap, etc.
Fast forward to the present, and evaluate this "Yes We Can & Change" Administration.

Do you see many of the same things being done as they were during the Bush Administration?

Do we see one misstep after another being committed?

To use Basketball lingo: Are we hearing Obama talk a good game while the team loses?

As I examine the facts surrounding the Obama Administration's performance so far; I wonder how could anyone ever reward such a presidency a B+? I believe that the president is a little too generous when it comes to his own performance. Any objective observer of President Obama can detect a streak of narcissism in his demeanor. If the president were to warrant a B+, it would not be for his achievements in ramming through Health Care Overhaul Reform, or for nominating the 6th Roman Catholic on the U.S. Supreme Court? It would probably be for boasting. How can someone earn a prize before he earns it? Especially, when one's greatest proponent or fan is himself. Yes, a B+ for Boastfulness, Brashness, Boldness, Buzz-words, but certainly not for Believability.

I thought long and hard before writing this; However, when I see all the hype coming from the White House that professes to do one thing and does another; I can not remain silent. There's a funny saying that states that "flattery will get you nowhere". But, when you flatter yourself, you can fall flat on your face.
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Failed to Connect the Dots?

After the attacks of September 11,2001, the Department of Homeland Security was created during a reorganization of intelligence and defense agencies (to work in partnership and share information) to prevent terrorist attacks on United States soil.

US Department of Homeland Security - Department of Homeland ...
Governmental agency works to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage from ...
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If you can't achieve the task of preventing terrorist attacks when the CIA is aware of potential terrorists intending to cause casualties? Or when DHS, the largest Intelligence/Law Enforcement body in the U.S. can't stop an attack? Who can?
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Don't tell me it's time to create another bureaucracy?
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Arsenio.
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