Is this the group of individuals we need making decisions. While they fight and bicker over furloughs. Americans are dying because they don’t have the agencies aligned…
It never seems to amaze me that congress seems to come up with the things we all realized a week ago. How could you not know that our counter terrorism strategy isn’t working? You can’t find one incidence where counter terrorism efforts stopped a terroristic attack. I’ve done a little digging today after posing the question days ago and did find that of all people Speaker John Boehner just today added his concerns of dismount to counter terrorism efforts in the USA.
House Speaker John Boehner today added his concern to a growing population in Congress questioning whether the US government has been overcome by intelligence failures after failing to excercise opportunities to dis mount cases of terrorism, including the Boston Bombings. Where there was evidence, and even a warning from the Russian authorities.
Boehner said he expected relevant committees in the House to examine the facts, particularly why details of bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s international travel were not shared between the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI after Russia asked the United States for help in 2011 investigating his alleged ties to Islamic extremists.
Is this the answer how many attacks has it taken for him to ask this simple question?
“I have concerns about what agencies knew what and the fact that it wasn’t shared,” Boehner, R-Ohio, said. “If the information is good enough for one agency of the government, why shouldn’t it be appropriate for other agencies of the government? We’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
After the brutal Boston attacks, House Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul and Rep. Pete King, a member of the homeland security and intelligence committees, co-authored a letter April 20 to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FBI Director Robert Mueller III to question the “efficacy of federal counter terrorism efforts.”
Republicans Rep. McCaul of Texas and Rep. King of New York point to five separate terrorists tied to terror attempts in the United States since 9/11/2001, including Anwar al-Awlaki, David Headley, Carlos Bledsoe and Nidal Hasan, in addition to Faruq Abdulmutallab, who attempted the underwear bombing despite being identified as a potential terrorist by the CIA.
As President George W. Bush prepares to open his library in Dallas, Texas Thursday, Rep. Tom Cotton, a freshman Republican from Arkansas, went to the House floor this afternoon to “express grave doubts about the Obama Administration’s counter terrorism policies and programs” and contrast President Obama and Bush’s records to protect the country from terrorism after 9/11.
“Counterterrorism is often shrouded in secrecy, as it should be, so let us judge by the results,” Cotton, who served tours as an infantry officer in Iraq and Afghanistan, said. “In barely four years in office, five jihadists have reached their targets in the United States under Barack Obama: the Boston Marathon bomber, the underwear bomber, the Times Square Bomber, the Fort Hood shooter, and in my own state—the Little Rock recruiting office shooter. In the over seven years after 9/11 under George W. Bush, how many terrorists reached their target in the United States? Zero!
“We need to ask: Why is the Obama Administration failing in its mission to stop terrorism before it reaches its targets in the United States?” he said.
Is it really Obama the problem or is it the entire congress instead?
“It raises some serious questions,” Boehner said. “I don’t want to get in the business of indicting agencies or agency heads until we have all the facts and there may be facts to support each of these five cases, but … we want to understand exactly what happened, and what didn’t happen, and hold those responsible that if, in fact, there were opportunities to stop these people when we didn’t do it.”
Lawmakers briefed Tuesday evening also said top officials have been unable to explain why the FBI stopped tracking Tsarnaev after the assistance to the Russians was completed.
“The main question is the FBI’s investigation going back to 2011 and why it was not followed up since then,” King told reporters after a classified briefing by Mueller, Napolitano and National Counter Terrorism Center Director Matthew Olsen Tuesday evening. “There were answers given but, again, I think we have to look into it more.”
“The FBI has a lot of work to do,” McCaul added. “They’ve admitted as such, and that this investigation now after the fact has really just begun.”
For all the frustration about missed opportunities, Boehner had high praise for everyone involved in the manhunt and capture of bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Friday night.
“Last week was a rough week for our nation, but I think our law enforcement officials at every level did a very outstanding job of working together and doing their best to keep America safe,” he said.
Officials from the FBI are expected to privately brief members of the House Intelligence committee later today while another update is planned at the Homeland Security committee Thursday.
It is a shame that this is a senseless act that could have been prevented it seems with a little more inter-agency communications. Maybe it is a simple answer, merge the FBI, CIA, and Homeland security. It seems they all have the same agenda why use three separate agencies when one center of command would greatly beneficial. What do you think merge to have one agency or continue to fund three failing ones?
The Daily Thought 