Events of the last few days have demonstrated that there are some fundamentals that you can count on:
First, there are demented extremists who are not going to stop trying to attack Americans by attempting to blow up airplanes. Second, there are Republican politicians in Washington who will stop at nothing to attack President Obama whenever they can conjure up an excuse to do so. And, third, political spin doctors are always eager to make house calls - particularly when it comes to the WHITE House.
Case in point - a twenty-three year old Nigerian citizen, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was apprehended after unsuccessfully trying to blow up himself and Northwest Flight 253 as it flew from Amsterdam to Detroit. A few days later, two Washington Republican attack dogs, Congressmen Hoekstra and King, were unleashed to attack President Obama for not holding a news conference immediately after reports of the thwarted "lap bomber" were released on Christmas Day. According to them, this was a clear indication that national security is not a "priority" for this administration.
It is unclear if it ever occurred to the Republican attack machine that there is a very compelling reason why president Obama should not have held a news conference immediately after the apprehension of the lap bomber: it is exactly what these demented people want - direct engagement with the President of the United States. What better way to frame this attempt at mass murder as a holy war attack against "the Great Satan?" Besides, generating an immediate and direct response from President Obama could generate a host of other benefits, not the least of which could be "inspiration" for other equally sick people to try a "copycat" attack.
This classic Republican political attack dog response is a page out their standard playbook. It is a variation of their demand that those who attempt mass murder should be elevated to the status of combatants in a holy war - warriors, not mass murdering criminals. That is why Bill Kristol was eager to jump on Fox News to decry the fact that the guy who managed to light his pants on fire on Flight 253 was actually ARRESTED when he landed and read his Miranda rights! Horrors - he was actually arrested for his crime! In Bill Kristol's world, law enforcement officials should recognize and treat this demented soul as a soldier, not as a diabolical criminal. That makes the likes of Bin Laden and jihadist recruiters happy. It reminds them of how much they benefited from the US attack and occupation of Iraq - another pearl of Bill Kristol's geopolitical wisdom. According to the CIA, the US attack and occupation of Iraq became one of Osama bin Laden's most powerful recruitment tools.
Instead, the President did exactly as he should have done - he ordered a review of the aviation security system including the so-called "watch lists" and the detection equipment used at airports. Next, administration officials were dispatched to talk directly to the American public about what happened and what it meant for aviation security. Unfortunately, the appearance of these officials was anything but reassuring. Instead of dealing with the issue forthrightly, they apparently paid a visit to Washington spin doctors on route to the network television studios and went immediately on the political defensive. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano showed up on ABC's "This Week" to say that the aviation security system worked "really very, very smoothly over the course of the last several days." Really? Not to confuse this with a very poorly thought out remark made before her first cup of coffee on a holiday Sunday morning, there was White House spokesman Robert Gibbs telling the CBS "Face the Nation" audience that "in many ways this system has worked".
It wasn't exactly a "Your doing a hell-of-a-job Bownie!" moment, but disconcerting nonetheless.
There is a lesson in all of this for leaders of both political parties. There are certain moments that require a distinctly non political response. When disaster strikes or is nearly averted, Americans want something more than a mindless knee-jerk political attack from Republican politicians. They also deserve something other than a less-than-credible political response from administration officials who are charged with responsibility for public safety.
I have a suggestion for a new year's resolution for both sides: When it comes to the safety of the American public, partisan political hats should henceforth be checked at the door.
This post originally appeared on New Security Action.