CIA, Counterterrorism Execs Managed Bomb Crisis from Afar

(AP)

It could be said that the U.S. government can run by remote control. On the day that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up a Northwest airline flight headed for Detroit, several key government players were on holiday and didn't immediately return to their posts in Washington, D.C.

President Obama was on vacation in Hawaii, golfing and enjoying time with his family. He returned to the White House on Jan. 4.

A source told CBS News that Leon Panetta, director of the CIA, was on holiday in Monterey, Calif. when Abdulmutallab was apprehended, and didn't return to CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. until the weekend following Jan. 1.

The CIA maintained that Panetta's absence from Langley was not a problem. "While we don't comment on the Director's whereabouts, wherever he is—and at every moment of every day—he has the ability to communicate instantly and securely with anyone he needs to be in touch with," a CIA spokesman said.

In addition, Stephen Kappes, CIA deputy director, reportedly didn't see the need to return to CIA headquarters from his vacation despite the major intelligence community failure. He returned to Washington, D.C. just after the Khost bombing on Dec. 30 that killed seven CIA officers.

And, the White House has been busy today putting its support behind National Counterterrorism Director Michael Leiter, who decided it would be acceptable to go on a six-day vacation with his 7-year-old son the day after Abdulmutallab's attempted bombing.

Special Report: The Christmas Day Terror Attack

John Brennan, the president's chief counterterrorism adviser, said he authorized Leiter to take the vacation time after concluding that Leiter had a "full complement" of people and deputies to deal with the situation and that he "deserved" the vacation.

Denis McDonough, National Security Staff Chief of Staff, chimed in that Leiter's vacation "did not affect in any way his ability to remain engaged with all elements of the United States Government."

Clearly, high-tech communications makes it possible to deal with a crisis situation from remote locations.

Brennan, speaking during a press conference following President Obama's remarks on the failure to detect Adulmutallab, said the situation following the attack was managed "seamlessly well" by government, intelligence and homeland security communities.

But, the procedures and systems deployed by the intelligence community prior to the attack broke down and didn't work "seamlessly well." The president said that it was a "failure to connect and understand the intelligence that we already had."

Whether working in the same room or remotely via secure communications, the intelligence community and the Obama administration have a long way to go before the phrase "seamless well" legitimately describes their work.

More on Obama's Remarks and the Report:

Obama Commands Intel Community to Do Better
Obama: "We Are at War"
John Brennan: I Told Leiter to Take Leave
Brennan: Yemen's Al Qaeda Is "Lethal" and "Concerning"
Transcript: Obama on Intelligence Failures
Will Obama Fire Anyone Over Intel Failures?
Full Obama Video
Analysis from CBS News' Bob Schieffer and Bob Orr
Summary of White House Review
Directive from President Obama

Daniel Farber is editor-in-chief of CBSNews.com. CBS News investigative producer Pat Milton contributed to this story.

[I_am_me1953]

Some of you idiots that post here, and I mena on both sides of the aisle, amaze me.

What exactly do you think either Leiter or Panetta could/should be doing? Throwing themselves on the terrorist on the plane? How do you hionk he will get to that 36,000 feet?

Do you think they don't deserve a vacation? Why do they have their second in commands? Really, why do you think we taax payers are paying $100Ks a year for the upper echelon in these departments? are the second-in-commands just getting a free ride or can they make a decision in the absnece of the boss? What do you think they should do when the terrorist gets to Detroit, have him arrested? Wasn't that done? Slap the terrorists hand for lighting trying to light the fuse?

Most of you have a keyboard, but a little brain. You just get mad and start typing nonsense. Conitinually engaging your fingers and/or mouth before engaging your brain. Try using the brain in the big head instead of the little one.

[dynamited777]

You fool double wide tea partiers need to shut the eff up. You boy bush was on vacation a FULL 1/3 of his terms. Maybe that was a good thing, he would have done even more damage had he really been paying attention.

[Empire-George-]

by yermamma January 8, 2010 11:14 AM EST

You sound like a CNN educated Tea Party radical holed up in a dirty trailer park somewhere in Texas. Am I close?
______________________

CNN educated....LMAO, yeah, I'm some toothless hillbilly in my double wide trailer in Texas, part of the confederacy and fly a civil war flag......

Wrong

I guess you believe the CIA director's job is to just show their face, so we can "see" them ?....LMAO.....this is why I can't deal with LibTards that have no clue about Intelligence agencies, military or national security issues....no clue whatsoever

[SkirtsLifter]

by Skip_G January 8, 2010 6:40 AM EST

Please, everyone, let's move into the present tense and address our current problems. You insult President Obama when you rebut any calls for him to act on the behalf of We the People by changing the subject to GW.
_____________________

Good call! You are correct. Move along people...GWB is history. (why the heck so many of his failed policies still in effect tho?)

Now ... on to this article:

""The CIA maintained that Panetta's absence from Langley was not a problem.""

I bet it was no prob! I wonder how many long time CIA people asked "what the eff?" when Panetta was handed the appointment. Just curious...

[Empire-George-]

by yermamma January 8, 2010 10:47 AM EST

Feed the Fear Machine
_____________

This isn't a joke lib....what I expected them to do is their job, in their office, at the capital.....Not vacationing on some ski slope, in some other country, while terrorists are breaching our national security, putting hundreds of travelers at risk.....do your job...very simple

This isn't some fear machine, this is real....but obviously, you probably live in nowhere, Idaho and are not at risk.....so you think this is all make-believe

[yermamma]

Hey now... that's no way to talk to yermamma. What makes you think I'm a lib you ******? So it's true then. Seeing their presence would comfort your fragile feeling of security. Sad. So know-it-all... what would their jobs have been if they had been sitting at their desk in Washington? What would have made you feel better?

[yermamma]

And while we're assuming where the other lives... you sound like a CNN educated Tea Party radical holed up in a dirty trailer park somewhere in Texas. Am I close?

[Empire-George-]

by Lizzz33333 January 8, 2010 9:35 AM EST
Ever heard of computers and laptops? They don't need to return because they use them. Get a clue.......
__________

Are you kidding ? You must be.....We are under terrorist attack and you think it's appropriate that the CIA director and the Counter-Terrorism Chief just continue to enjoy their skiing, because they have a laptop back at the Chalet ?? Get your butt back to DC, in your office, doing your job and quit with these non-stop vacations, and disguised vacations called summits......Yeah, Bush did blah blah, same excuse for every Obama inaction.

[yermamma]

What would they have done exactly? Pulled a Jack Bauer type interrogation on him? Would seeing them make you feel all cozy and safe again? If they had been present, the same outcome would have happened. Feed the Fear Machine.

[Lizzz33333]

Ever heard of computers and laptops? They don't need to return because they use them. Get a clue.......

[msay3]

Laptops and computers fall short, hon....For Mr. Obama and Mr. Panetta to have such an arrogant and cavalier attitude in the face of an attempted terrorist attack is inexcusable. They essentially put their respective vacations at a higher priority than a threat to the welfare of this country. They ought to be ashamed of themselves!

[Skip_G]

Did you see the video of the TSA guy who walks away from his desk, allowing a man to slip by unchecked? That's what President Obama is doing. He needs to grab the damn steering wheel, stay seated in the cockpit, and drive like hell- not on health care, or union issues, or other "community organizer" items. He needs to focus 100% on IMMEDIATE steps to help allow for the CREATION OF NEW JOBS (NOT "SAVED" JOBS), and he needs to punish (by firing, summarily) people who dropped the ball on the latest terrorism attacks- Ft. Hood and the Christmas bomber.

It's 2010, this is starting his second year in a four year term. Please stop mentioning George W. Bush. Obama was aware of who he was replacing in office. That's the job he ran for, knowing the state of our economy, and knowing our military commitments. He was a US Senator already, so he was VERY familiar with the state of our nation, one would think, anyway. He made promises.

Please, everyone, let's move into the present tense and address our current problems. You insult President Obama when you rebut any calls for him to act on the behalf of We the People by changing the subject to GW.

Analogy: I make promises about how I can turn GM motors around if hired as CEO, knowing the wretched state that GM is in. I get hired as CEO of GM. Is it wise of me to spend all of my time complaining about how the former CEO ran things, and the state the company was in before I took over, if I continue to make bad decisions? If I run the company further into the ground, will I look any better if I keep complaining? No.

Please, President Obama, let ME be perfectly clear: stop with all the talking all the time, and take some action! Not action on any Olympics bid, not on Climate Change treaties, Not on Shuffling Health Care While Keeping it Corrupt... TAKE ACTION ON INCENTIVES FOR EMPLOYERS TO HIRE MORE WORKERS. TAKE ACTION ON REESTABLISHING A US PRODUCTION ECONOMY. TAKE ACTION ON TREATING TERRORISTS AS TERRORISTS, NOT COMMON CRIMINALS.

Throwing money at the problems will not fix them, for at least two reasons: 1) We have no money and the Chinese will not loan us more 2) You're smarter than that, at least that's how you present yourself when you speak.

Sorry about the caps, Mr. President, but please, everyone agrees you are a guy who is easy to like, but show us you can do the job, OK? We need change- increased security and job growth.

Last item: we hear you loud and clear every time you speak; please stop demanding that I "let (you) be clear," or even "perfectly clear." You don't need my permission, Mr. President. I don't think you realize how often you say that, but it is starting to get very very annoying. Please, please stop, OK?

[yermamma]

I doubt the president reads this. What are you doing to help the situation besides yelling from your living room? Just like an armchair quarter back, it's easier to complain about the game than it is to play it. If you feel so strongly then take up that cross and go. Make some change.

[nanacyle81]

Share your support for new Health Care Plan at http://www.obamahealthcareplan.org

[1bighat]

I have always wondered why Obama is considered a great intelluctual and Bush an idiot. If these things were true why would the great intellectual not only follow Bush's policies but expand their size and scope. Plus the great intelluctual hired foxes to guard the henhouse from other foxes. (Geithner and Summers)

Why would the great intectual continue 2 wars that his own party believes were illegal wars. Why does Blackwater and Haliburton continue to get no bid contracts.

is Bush smarter than we thought or is Barack dumber then we believe? Does the ability to give a better speech indicate brainpower to some people?

[jjamerb]

Because Obama brings a professor and a police officer together for a beer that means he's a great president? That is about the dumbest defense for this so called president I've heard thus far.

Funny, you say because he gave better speeches he is more intelligent. As I recall from his speeches he promised to close gitmo, get our troops home, put all bills on the internet for 24 hrs before signing them, putting cspan in negotiations for health care, etc, etc.

You listen to his speeches and hear all his promises but yet you don't even listen to what he's saying.

11 months after Bush we've been attacked 3x on our soil. At least after 911 no one attacked us, because they knew there'd be hell to pay. Who is the dumb one?

[yermamma]

Welcome to the rest of the world. Do you really think a political messiah will rise up and save us all from terrorists? The ball is in motion and has been for a long time. Terrorism doesn't go away over night if at all and peace doesn't come from the end of a gun barrel. If you think that Bush and Cheney were the saviors then you're just as dangerous as the idiot that tried to blow up the plane.