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One last Snark ‘fore 20X!

By GrammyH. • on December 31, 2009

SNIPS from: “As the Nation’s Pulse Races, Obama Can’t Seem to Find His”
By New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd – December 29, 2009
In his usual inspiring/listless cycle, he once more appeared chilly in his response to the chilling episode on Flight 253, issuing bulletins through his press secretary and hitting the links. On Tuesday, Obama stepped up to the microphone to admit what Janet Napolitano (who learned nothing from an earlier Janet named Reno) had first tried to deny: that there had been “a systemic failure” and a “catastrophic breach of security.” But in a mystifying moment that was not technically or emotionally reassuring, there was no live video and it looked as though the Obama operation was flying by the seat of its pants. Heck of a job, Barry. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/opinion/30dowd.html?_r=3

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SNIPS from: “Analysis: Many question ’system worked’ comment”
By Jennifer Loven – Dec 29, 2009

Obama is dealing with … Friday’s attempt by a 23-year-old Nigerian to blow up a Detroit-bound flight from Amsterdam. … Though it ended with only a fire that was quickly put out, no lives lost and the man in custody, it has raised alarm about the government’s performance. – How did airport security, improved at much cost after the 2001 terrorist attacks, miss the explosives concealed on the bomber’s body? – How did the terrorist watchlist system allow Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to both keep his American tourist visa and avoid extra flight screening despite his father telling authorities his concerns about the younger man’s radicalization? – Why didn’t Abdulmutallab’s lack of luggage, and cash purchase for an international flight, raise suspicions? – Why was the plot thwarted only by an apparent explosive malfunction and fellow passengers’ aggressive action? Amid those questions, administration officials’ repeated statements Sunday that “the system worked” were jarring. They made it sound like the administration doesn’t get it, like it is paying too much attention to political fallout and too little to public fears. For Obama, still short of one year in office, his narrative, critical or otherwise, isn’t set yet. … Rumblings keep resurfacing about emotional distance, even coldness. Whether it’s Wall Street bonuses or terrorist near-disaster, people wonder whether he feels as they do or ever acts out of passion.

Until Monday, the president had not been heard from publicly since the Christmas Day scare. He was ordering stepped-up security measures and after-action reviews behind the scenes, but also enjoying his Hawaiian vacation with games of golf, basketball and tennis and trips to the beach. He drew questions about his level of involvement by not getting his first briefing on the incident until two hours after it was all over – and then only for 15 minutes, when he departed for the gym. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091229/D9CT6TE80.html