Napolitano Clarifies “System Worked” Remark

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano backtracked from her weekend comment that the system “worked.”

“The system has worked really very, very smoothly over the course of the past several days,” Ms. Napolitano said in an interview on “This Week” on ABC. Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, used nearly the same language on “Face the Nation” on CBS, saying that “in many ways, this system has worked.”

After a piling on by Republicans Napolitano clarified her remarks.

Ms. Napolitano said on the “Today” program on NBC that her remark on Sunday that the system worked had been taken …

Joe Lieberman: Without Pre-Emptive Action, Yemen Will Be “Tomorrow’s War”

Joe Lieberman, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday” that pre-emptive war against Yemen is necessary.

The Connecticut senator said that an administration official told him that “Iraq was yesterday’s war, Afghanistan is today’s war. If we don’t act preemptively, Yemen will be tomorrow’s war.”

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Lieberman, who is known to be hawkish on security issues, said that Yemen needs to be a focal point because two recent attacks were linked back to a growing al-Qaeda presence there.

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No Evidence Of Wider Plot Says Napolitano

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says there is no evidence thus far of a wider terrorist plot beyond the attempt to blow up the Detroit-bound Northwest Airliner.  An investigation is ongoing into the suspect’s ties to al Qaeda.

Asked if Mr. Abdulmutallab was part of a bigger plot or whether he was a “lone wolf,” Ms. Napolitano replied, “Well, right now, we have no indication that it’s part of anything larger, but obviously the investigation continues.”

Napolitano was asked why Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab was allowed to fly given that his father had warned officials at the US Embassy …

Another Passenger Deemed Disruptive On Flight 253; Likely Had Stomach Flu

A Nigerian man was taken into custody after he locked himself in an airplane bathroom on the same flight that was terrorized on Christmas day. It appears he was suffering from stomach problems, but airline officials say he became abusive when flight attendants opened the bathroom door and pulled him out.

Susan Elliot with Delta Air Lines said “The pilot requested emergency assistance upon arrival.”

Authorities searched the passenger and the plane upon landing and found no suspicious devices.

Overreaction, perhaps? Or an abusive customer?…

Iranian Cops Fatally Shoot 4 As Protests Continue

An Iranian protester aims a stone at security forces in Tehran (right), and police opened fire on demonstrators, as thousands chanted “Death to the dictator,” in spite of warnings of a harsh crackdown.

Security forces tried but failed to disperse protesters on a central Tehran street with tear gas, charges by baton-wielding officers and warning shots fired into the air. They then opened fire directly at protesters, killing at least three people, said witnesses and the pro-reform Web site Rah-e-Sabz.

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An Iranian opposition website said at least four protesters also were killed in the northwestern city …

RIP Percy Sutton, 1920-2009

Percy Sutton was a civil rights attorney and a New York power broker whose influence broadened political opportunities for African-American politicians and whose business acumen built an empire.  Sutton served with the Tuskegee Airmen duirng WWII and represented Malcolm X (and also Malcolm X’s family for decades after his death).  He served in the New York State Assembly before becoming Manhattan borough president in 1966, when he was the highest elected black official in the state.

“He never stopped building bridges and laying the groundwork,” [Rev. Jesse] Jackson said Sunday. “We are very glad to be the beneficiaries of his …

Ridiculous New “Safety” Regulations

In the wake of the terror incident on Northwest Flight 253, airlines are rushing to impose rules that they think will stem acts of terror. It’s reactive, not proactive, and doesn’t address the fact that there will always be ways to sneak small amounts of lethal materials on board unless every passenger and bag is searched head-to-toe before boarding.

Some airlines are preventing passengers from leaving their seats an hour before landing. So a terrorist goes into the bathroom 65 minutes before landing.

Air Canada, in accordance with new rules imposed by the Transportation Security Administration, reported it was limiting …

Jasper Schuringa: A True Hero

Dutch filmmaker Jasper Schuringa saw smoke rising from a few seats away on Northwest Flight 253.  He risked his own life to subdue Farouk Abdul Mutallab, charged with trying to blow up the plane (h/t TV Newser)

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ABC: Terror Plot Planned In Yemen; Suspect Had Explosives Sewn In Underwear

Al Qaeda leaders in Yemen planned the attempted terrorist attack on a plane that landed in Detroit, and they sewed bomb materials into the suspect’s underwear, according to ABC News.

Investigators say the suspect had more than 80 grams of PETN, a compound related to nitro-glycerin used by the military. The so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, had only about 50 grams kin his failed attempt in 2001 to blow up a U.S.-bound jet. Yesterday’s bomb failed because the detonator may have been too small or was not in “proper contact” with the explosive material, investigators told ABC News.

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What We Know About Terror Suspect

Mediaite has a running thread on what is known so far about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, or Abdul Mudallad, or Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, or Abdul Farouk Mutallab, depending up on which source you reference.

GOPers Who Oppose Health Care Plan Voted For Deficit-Building Medicare Expansion

Republican lawmakers who voted in 2003 for Medicare expansion paid for by increasing deficits oppose the current bills that reduce deficits.

All current GOP senators, including the 24 who voted for the 2003 Medicare expansion, oppose the health care bill that’s backed by President Barack Obama and most congressional Democrats.

The Democrats claim that their plan moving through Congress now will pay for itself with higher taxes and spending cuts and they cite the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office for support.

By contrast, when Republicans controlled the House, Senate and White House in 2003, they overcame Democratic opposition to …