Obama to take responsibility for security mistakes, source says

[jefferson_dem]

Obama to take responsibility for security mistakes, source says
January 7, 2010 1:17 p.m. EST

Washington (CNN) -- President Obama will take direct responsibility for administration mistakes when he releases a new report on the December 25 terror incident, according to a senior administration official familiar with the president's remarks.

But he is not planning to fire anyone for the foul-up, the official said.

"He will say, 'Here are the warts; I'm responsible,' " said the senior administration official, who requested anonymity because aides were not authorized to discuss the remarks before they're delivered by the president.

The official said the president believes that previous administrations would "play hide the ball" and not come clean with the American people when things go wrong, so he wants to be direct about what needs to be fixed, but the official said the president does not want this process to devolve into finger-pointing.

Pressed on whether people in the administration are likely to be fired to follow through on Obama's promise last week to bring "accountability" to all levels of government, the senior administration official said no.

"It's about holding accountable a system so that it works," said the senior official.

Another U.S. official briefed on the investigation said federal agents flagged the name of the suspect in the botched Christmas Day terrorist attack while his plane was headed from the Netherlands to the United States and were planning to question him at the Detroit airport.

<SNIP>

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/07/obama.terror.report/index.html

[Jennicut]

1. You mean, he will actually act like a responsible adult?

Rethugs everywhere will have collective heart attacks.

[LuckyLib]

2. Chimpy, of course, immediately jumped in after the shoe bomber incident to

assume full responsibility as well. Oh, that's right. He was clearing brush in Crawford.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. Taking responsibility is like cutting the defcitit... polls well but unpopular in practice

[ShortnFiery]

4. You don't "take responsibility" unless you PAY A PRICE. I'm sick of leaders

claiming to "take responsibility" and not FIRING or RESIGNING THEMSELVES.

The above "take responsibility" actions sound EXACTLY like what the last Executive Branch would do. :thumbsdown:


Take responsibility? My ass!

[countingbluecars]

8. Do you want the president to

resign over this?

[ShortnFiery]

24. No, but some managers need to be "disciplined" and the Homeland Security Chief should resign. eom

[leftynyc]

12. Is there nothing you wont

shit all over the President for. You're so predictable and boring.

[DevonRex]

13. +1. Wonder what price she wants Obama to pay. nt

[impik]

26. Na, don't sweat it. These people deserves Bush

Seriously.

[leftynyc]

28. Even worse

They deserve palin.

[tammywammy]

22. I guess you've never heard the phrase "the buck stops here."

I'm glad to know that when he takes responsibility for something you'd want him to resign. Best that Obama never admit a mistake again in the future. :eyes:

[ShortnFiery]

23. The buck stops NOWHERE with President Obama not unlike BushCo because nobody truly

TAKES THE BLAME. It's obfuscation and protection of his inner circle. But you already knew that, didn't you? Just because BushCo were "EXPERTS" at deflecting blame and responsibility doesn't make what this Administration is doing correct. It's not - it's "cronyism" plain and simple.

[tammywammy]

27. I'm pretty sure Obama could shoot rainbows out of his butt

and you'd still find something to complain about it "well, there weren't enough rainbows," or "he used lime green instead of chartreuse."

:shrug:

[jenmito]

5. Obama, the president, is taking responsibility? DOES NOT COMPUTE! DOES NOT COMPUTE!

I don't understand!

[ShortnFiery]

6. Who's being FIRED? Is Obama resigning? Then he's just protecting his inner circle.

Anything BUT what is truly "taking responsibility."

Oh that's right, when President Obama does it, it's pragmatic and thoughtful? :crazy:

[Peacetrain]

25. You take the cake..honest to GOD you do..

[HopeOverFear]

10. *TILT* TILT* TILT* TILT*

:rofl:

[jenmito]

15. That's what I'm sayin'!

:D

[impik]

7. Amazing president this country have. How sad so many can't recognize it

[jenmito]

9. It's sad for THEM. Their bitterness won't stop the majority of us from

appreciating him.

[leftynyc]

11. I'm glad he's behaving like an adult

But he should fire the guy who stayed on the ski slopes after the incident - he's an incompetent holdover from the cheney administration.

[ShortnFiery]

17. Yes, with respect for President Obama's intelligence, his BEHAVIOR is no different from those

within the LAST administration. Unfortunately, too many are "wowed" by his pragmatic intelligence they don't realize that the American People are, once again, being both duped and short changed.

Why? They're going to use all the "generated fear" about evil and unstable YEMEN to justify stationing some of our TROOPS there ... just perhaps build a BASE in country? :puke: Secondly, we're going to spend OBSCENE amounts for "body scanning" equipment that will not only enrich those within "the inner MIC circle" but it will also NOT keep Americans safer ... just bleed-out more of our tax dollars. Third, they will insist that having the TSA unionized will harm productivity. Any sacrifice for Corporate America. :crazy:

I think Don Henley put it most aptly:

We got the bully pulpit
And the poisoned pen
We got a press no better
Than the public men
This brave new world
Gone bad again
God's finest little creatures
Looking brave and strong
Whistling past the graveyard
Nothing can go wrong
Quoting from the scriptures
With patriotic tears
We got the same old men
With the same old fears
Standing at attention
Wrapped in stars and stripes
They hear the phantom drummers
And the nonexistent pipes
These days the buck stops nowhere
No one takes the blame
But evil is still evil
In anybody's name

If dirt were dollars
If dirt were dollars
If dirt were dollars
We'd all be in the black

[inna]

14. I'm afraid it might be a political mistake and it will only give ammunition

to his republican critics.

I think responsibility lies with those who withheld the info. "But he is not planning to fire anyone for the foul-up" - again, wrong move, IMO.



Why, why, why. :(

[DevonRex]

16. -1. Good lord. You must get dizzy from all that anti-Obama spinning.

[inna]

18. what a lame, stupid and malicious comment,

as always.

:thumbsdown:

[Cha]

19. Hey, DevonRex..you are the sweetest person!

:hi:

[DevonRex]

21. Why thank you, Cha! And you are too.

:hi:

and

:rofl:

[ShortnFiery]

20. Yes, this LACK of disciplinary leadership in addition to initially BLAMING the Secret Service

for the "uninvited guests" will not only keep President Obama and his family LESS SAFE, it will do nothing for the SECURITY of Americans.

Even as a lowly Platoon Leader of 45 troops, the Platoon Sergeant and I KNEW that when the mission went astray, we focused in on the origin of the breech and corrected it to include non judiciary punishments, when needed for good order and discipline.

President Obama for all his super high intelligence is a piss poor COMMANDER. No, a good "manager" but an inadequate "LEADER."

However, his worst mistake was not STANDING UP for HIS Secret Service and promptly firing the top echelon of the Protocol Section who were too "important" and busy schmoozing with the dignitaries to assist the Secret Service in screening guests and the first State Dinner.

I am merely a woman of average intelligence, but given a choice between LOYALTIES to "my social coordinator buddies from Chicago" and that of the "Secret Service" tasked to protect my person, I would, with regret, always side with THE SECRET SERVICE. Why should they "go the extra mile" to keep The Obamas safe when every screw up by their social coordination staff is blamed on them? Well, other than the fact that they are professionals ... and will anyway it's hardly "respect" being given in return. :shrug: And again, NOBODY was fired when THREE (3X) unauthorized guests slipped past security as the coordinators socialized themselves.

Pathetic and unsatisfactory leadership skills when THE HARD decisions (firings) should have been promptly made.

[Parker CA]

29. I fail to understand how someone was fired for the Air Force One NYC flyover but not for this.

There was no loss of life or even potential loss of life in the flyover, yet the guy who made the decision was asked to step down.

Vital security info isn't passed along correctly or is withheld for nefarious reasons and everyone skates. Seems very contradictory to me.

This to me shows the power the CIA et al hold over the POTUS. I don't understand why Obama is going to take the direct hit when there seem to be clear faults sitting in the laps of potentially multiple organizations. I understand the leadership and ownership aspect, but it seems the real blame clearly sits outside of his direct responsibility.

[moondust]

30. God yes. He was supposed to be in Lagos and Amsterdam frisking people.

Where the hell was he?

:sarcasm: