This is just silly. You are comparing one sentence that Napolitano imprudently said shortly after the event happened with someone who let New Orleans sink.

The director of an agency is responsible for it, but she does not look over the shoulder of every employee. Before calling for dismissals, we should know exactly what was the problem, not little media moments. If anything is bad for security, it is changing directors every year because of gotcha moments.

Leave aside whether Napolitano is doing a good job or not for the moment and deal with reality: Every once in a while, bad shit is going to happen. It's going to happen because there will always be bad people, and statistically, we're never going to stop all of them. And a failure to imbibe this reality, is what makes reactionaries like you, the far bigger threat to this country. This country is NOT a place, it's an idea. An idea wholly antithetical to the kind of mindless "sky is falling" panic that people like you, try to use, to destroy the idea.

I am willing to accept that bad things happen. Furthermore, I am NEVER willing to trade my liberties, for the promise of safety, nor should anyone else who actually understands what America is supposed to be.

I cringed when Napolitano made the comment. I cringed further when Rachael Maddow tried to reportray it with tortured logic. It's all strawmen; "the system" will always be breachable, but people who exploit fear, are less tolerable than any failure.

"Napolitano's characterization and subsequent spin that "the system worked" in the case of Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab's Detroit terror scare proves that she isn't qualified to be the head of Homeland Security"

No, it doesn't.

Maybe she isn't qualified, but a staggeringly boneheaded remark doesn't prove it.

You get the job qualifications you insist on, and sooner or later you wind up missing out on something else. I would rather have a head of Homeland Security who's a competent administrator and an incompetent politician, than vice versa.

For me, the certain failure here was in Amsterdam. While everyone is wringing their hands over full body scanners, I want to see some answers about the obvious redflags: 1-way ticket, cash, no luggage, no passport. Let's start there.

I have been puzzled why Mr. UFA waited with his planned attack until the plane was almost at Detroit's airport instead of above the Atlantic Ocean where a successful demolition of the plane would have been hard to trace definitively to Al Qaeda. Was it the intent that the damaged plane should crash into the city?

Question--Where did this guy get on the plane at?

(hint--it wasn't America...)

I think Janet should step down. She is doing a very poor job. She can't even get the illegal alines out of this Country, how can she protect our Country from those who want to destroy us. Let's get someone in there who can protect this Country and get the illegal aliens out of this Country!

Political correctness has destroyed our nation, there is nothing correct about political correctness. Napolitano does not want to secure our borders to prevent terrorist attacks. DHS has targeted patriotic Americans as the enemy. Our true enemy are Muslims and those who want to destroy our nation to establish a one world communist dictatorship police state also known as the new world order. This enemy also refer to themselves by many names such as progressives, socialists, communists and marxists, they have infiltrated and taken control of the Democratic party. They remain in power through bribery and a corrupt media that destroy any candidate that will represent the people over big business, wall street and the international mafia banksters. The controlled media did not report on Climategate, the biggest ripoff scam in the history of the world. Anybody that believes the climate change/CO2 propaganda that has been spewed out by the United Nations either need to hear the truth behind this conspiracy or they are just plain stupid. The entire scam was created to tax everything we use to create a brutal police state, dictatorship world government. If they get their carbon taxes we all will live in extreme poverty while giving this corrupt government total control over every aspect of our lives. Most people will be eliminated by them, only select slaves will be kept for their agenda. Anybody who wants to go along with their plans need to check into the nearest mental hospital.

Good article, but in the last paragraph, the term "foiled" isn't accurate. The plot wasn't foiled (thwarted by outside influence)...it was BOTCHED.

Casper the FLying Dutchman and those that came to aid him subdue this idiot are worthy of more than just a simple headline or interview.

The real heroes of this year should not include any politician.

But, Captain Sully.
Casper the FLying Dutchman.
The 2 DOD Cops who took out the terrorist at Ft Hood.

I listened to Napolitano and heard her discussing how the system worked after the fact, not that it worked in the screening process. This she seemed unclear about since the facts were not in and she stated that things were now being looked at to determine what happened. I think all those complaining about her should go back and listen to what she was asked and what she said. The expectation that people should have immediate answers without time to fact check is ludicrous. The Republicans are becoming more and more disgusting as they attempt to destroy Obama and the Dems but they are the ones who are truly unpatriotic. This is not a partisan issue at all. It is a serious breech in our system which was put in place by the Bush administration. Now, maybe Obama can make it better. He seems to be the one that has to clean up all of the Bush messes left behind.

And, Napolitano was 100% correct in her assessment of the extrmeists in this country who are becoming radical in their attempts to harm other Americans and especially the president. Those folks are very active in their attempts and extremely dangerous. Terrorism comes in many shapes and sizes. Skinheads, neo-nazis and some teabaggers come to mind. Many have become quite mainstream and fit right in as they do their damage. Don't fool yourselves.

No more flying until the following actions are taken:

1. Everyone puts on scrubs for flying (after cavity checks). No other clothes, except flip-flops. Same for employees.
2. No luggage. Of any kind. Ever.
3. Everyone is given laxatives two hours before flight. No BM at the gate, no boarding pass. (Who knows what you've got in a balloon in your gut?)
4. Two words: background checks. Only those with sufficient character references may fly. Those with ethnic names may find the process considerably slower...

Once you land, you're on your own. Drive safely.

and the authors misuse of context disqualifies him from being believable

Attempting to reign in all the intelligence agencies is like herding cats.

Under Richard Grenell's byline is "Spokesman for the last 4 U.S. Ambassadors to the UN." You would think with that description he must be bipartisan, but Mr. Grenell was appointed in 2001 by GW Bush, and those 4 ambassadors were all neo-con Bush appointees.