Obama's Reverse Spin: "This Was A Screw Up"

(CBS/ AP)

Two days after the attempted Christmas day bombing of a Northwest airliner bound for Detroit, the message from the Obama Administration was "the system worked." This afternoon, the President delivered a dramatic reversal of that narrative.

Speaking somberly and forcefully from the White House, Obama said the government had "sufficient information" to have potentially disrupted the attack, but that the intelligence community "failed to connect those dots." He spoke of the "the human and systemic failures that almost cost nearly 300 lives," and he vowed, "we will do better."

He was more blunt in a private meeting with top advisers just before he spoke before the cameras: "This was a screw up that could have been disastrous. We dodged a bullet but just barely. It was averted by brave individuals, not because the system worked, and that is not acceptable."

On Face the Nation Sunday, Bob Schieffer took aim at the administration's first response at spin. Interviewed on Sunday talk shows two days after the attempted bombing, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs insisted that the "system worked" and the "system has worked." They both said it with a straight face, but it didn't pass the laugh test.

"Self-serving spin at the first sign of crisis does not help the situation; it makes it worse, because it makes it harder to believe anything the government says," Bob said on Sunday. "Real security is built on trust in the government. That requires truth, which should be the beginning of government presentations, not the fallback position."

Today, Obama seemed determined to push the reset button, as he detailed what pretty much every single American has known for the past week and a half: The system, in fact, had not worked.

"It was a failure to integrate and understand the intelligence that we already had. The information was there, agencies and analysts who needed it had access to it, and our professionals were trained to look for it and to bring it all together," Obama said.

"I will accept that intelligence by its nature is imperfect, but it is increasingly clear that intelligence was not fully analyzed or fully leveraged," he said. "That's not acceptable, and I will not tolerate it."

Obama spoke after meeting with his Cabinet and national security team. He described plans already put in place since the attempted attack—more screening, better coordination, expansion of the "no-fly" list. And he said more changes were ahead.

"We have to do better, and we will do better, and we have to do it quickly," he said. "American lives are on the line."

The President also said the administration would not return some 90 Yemeni detainees now held at Guantanamo back to their home country at this time. But he said he was committed to closing Guantanamo.

He didn't say how he was going to do that--or where the 198 detainees who are there now are going to go. He has asked Congress for $150 million to house Guantanamo terror suspects at a prison in Illinois. That fight will get underway in the spring.

[sunday42]

Obama's election was a screw up. Obama is a screw up!

[D_Morris_PE]

The name on the page banner says "CBSNEWS", news- not opinion, guesswork, supposition, or anything other than facts. Just report the facts as they are known at the time, without bias or innuendo, and let the recipients make up their own minds about how to use the information. Reporters are supposed to report in clear, concise, language. Columnists get paid to make things up, or render their own OPINIONS. Unfortunately, too many "reporters" are trying to make a name for themselves at the expense of getting the facts straight.

[PaGuy1960]

Funny when the shoe is on the other foot. People bashed Bush left and right for trying to keep this country safe. Now Obama is not feeling the love. If Bush was on vaca for the entire time he would have been crusified. Obama needs to wake up, the real world is knocking.

[jchenn]

It's hard to feel any sympathy for President Obama. He showed no mercy to the prior administration, he should expect no mercy on his watch. Being president is a tough job. Ask Bush, he'll tell you. Now it's your turn.

[luadda22]

That's all this administration has ever done is try to blame someone else for everything.

[freelancesniper]

It seems that the Brits were aware of "The KnickerBomber's" proclivities for some time now, according to the Deseret News, Sun 1/3...
"...Officials realized about a year after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab came to London to study in 2005 that he was in contact with Islamic extremists whose communications were being monitored, a senior government official told The Associated Press on Sunday..."

Perhaps they might have shared more info if Mr.Brown had been able to view all of those movies that he got from the Bamster?

[formrusmcsgt]

We had a man who for two terms, made mistake after mistake and could never own up to the obvious.

This man at least has enough honesty to not insult our intelligence refusing to admit obvious failures as his predecessor did.

[jea333]

he only admits to mistakes that are made public, when it is shown that his polling numbers are dropping...he knows most of the media outlets and Lemmings are drinking the Obama Kool-Aid which ensures an "Obama can do no wrong hangover!"

[winstrv]

He didn't take any of the blame. Who is the Commander-In-Chief? Who do these people work for? He is suppose to be in charge yet he blames everyone else. Why hasn't he fired someone for this screw-up and while we are at it, why hasn't someone be fired for the party crashers? This happened in his own house.

[ckh123mmm]

Electing Obama was a screw up. And I thought he might be good. Mc Cain sure wasnt the choice. Guess that means we're all out of choices?

[good4usa]

It was a screw-up. Admit it and move on. Make the system work better - that's what we want - not self serving rhetoric (from either side). Schieffer was right - trust comes from people being honest enough to admit they (or the system) goofed.