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Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration - SumOfAllFears - 01-04-2010 08:22 PM
Report: Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration
Monday, 04 Jan 2010 06:57 PM
By: David A. Patten
A suspected al-Qaida plot to detonate a bomb during President Obama's inauguration was taken so seriously that Defense Secretary Robert Gates -- a Bush administration holdover and the only member of Obama's cabinet already confirmed by the U.S. Senate -- was cloistered in an undisclosed, secure facility to preserve the line of succession in case an attack succeeded.
The New York Times reports on the incident in an upcoming magazine article, "Inside Obama's War on Terrorism," by Peter Baker. A preliminary version of the article was posted Monday on the newspaper's Web site.
In the weeks leading up to the inauguration, officials worked around the clock to analyze intelligence reports that a group of Somali jihadists planned to infiltrate the United States from Canada to detonate explosives.
The president's national security advisers concluded the threat of a major terror attack during the inauguration was serious. One major concern: That a bomb detonated during the inauguration of an American president would do irreparable, "debilitating" damage to America's image abroad.
Although President Obama declined to be interviewed for the Times article, top presidential adviser David Axelrod told Baker the threat appeared to weigh heavily on the president-elect in the days leading up to the inauguration.
Of course, Obama was aware of the terror threat long before he was elected. "But when the reality comes and the baton is being passed and you're now dealing with real terrorism threats," Axelrod said, "it's a very sobering moment."
Baker reports that Obama's team worked hand-in-hand with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other Bush administration officials to counter the threat.
Officials now believe the intelligence reports were bogus, an effort by one Somali faction to dupe the United States into taking out a rival group. It indicates how difficult it can be to discern actual security threats from bogus ones.
The Times' account suggests that Obama's encounter with the daunting realities of international terrorism -- which have led him to embrace many of the very Bush administration policies that he scorned as a candidate -- began much earlier than generally recognized.
Only vague details of the threat were released to the public at the time. On Inauguration Day, CNN reported the FBI and Homeland Security was worried about a possible attack by Al Shabaab, a Somali terror group.
RE: Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration - bubbapt - 01-04-2010 09:26 PM
I guess they were assuming that Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Byrd were collateral damage.
Current line of succession, according to Wiki:
# Office Current Officer
1 Vice President Joe Biden
2 Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi
3 President pro tempore of the Senate Robert Byrd
4 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
5 Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner
6 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
7 Attorney General Eric Holder
8 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
9 Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
10 Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke
11 Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
12 Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
13 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan
14 Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood
15 Secretary of Energy Steven Chu
16 Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
17 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki
18 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
RE: Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration - SumOfAllFears - 01-04-2010 09:40 PM
What was the order prior to the Oath of Office being administered. I wouldn't bother about Pelosi and Byrd either.
RE: Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration - bubbapt - 01-04-2010 09:47 PM
(01-04-2010 09:40 PM)SumOfAllFears Wrote: What was the order prior to the Oath of Office being administered. I wouldn't bother about Pelosi and Byrd either.
Well, if he was assassinated before he was formally inaugurated -- I'm not really sure -- but I suppose that Biden (assuming he survived an attempt) would become President, with Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Byrd, and then Gates in line.
On the other hand, can a Vice President assume the Presidency if he's never been sworn in as VP?
RE: Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration - smn1256 - 01-04-2010 10:27 PM
Quote:The Times' account suggests that Obama's encounter with the daunting realities of international terrorism -- which have led him to embrace many of the very Bush administration policies that he scorned as a candidate -- began much earlier than generally recognized.
So the only way Obama will understand something is for him to go through it himself? Well let him have the health care that he wants to have. Let him drive the cheap and crappy cars he wants us to drive. Let him have very little money and then get taxed to death. Let him compete with an illegal alien to get a job. Let him try to run a company only to have the union workers he employs go on strike and then try to run that company. Let him be called a racist for disagreeing with the policies of people he doesn't agree with.
A reality he truly has to deal with is going down as the worst president in history.
RE: Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration - Ninerfan1 - 01-04-2010 10:35 PM
(01-04-2010 09:47 PM)bubbapt Wrote:(01-04-2010 09:40 PM)SumOfAllFears Wrote: What was the order prior to the Oath of Office being administered. I wouldn't bother about Pelosi and Byrd either.
Well, if he was assassinated before he was formally inaugurated -- I'm not really sure -- but I suppose that Biden (assuming he survived an attempt) would become President, with Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Byrd, and then Gates in line.
On the other hand, can a Vice President assume the Presidency if he's never been sworn in as VP?
I thought I read somewhere that they actually take the oath of office in private before going out. That when they do it in front of everyone it's ceremonial in nature.
If that's not the case I would imagine if neither is ever sworn in than Bush would still be president until another election could be held.
RE: Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration - Motown Bronco - 01-04-2010 11:59 PM
Quote:One major concern: That a bomb detonated during the inauguration of an American president would do irreparable, "debilitating" damage to America's image abroad.
In what way?
Obama was a celebrity, especially at the time, overseas. An Al Qaeda bomb during the inauguration would've accomplished an outpouring of world sympathy for the US not seen in years. I suppose they meant damage to our sense of security and proving us to be extremely vulnerable, but it wasn't worded very well.
Quote:Officials now believe the intelligence reports were bogus, an effort by one Somali faction to dupe the United States into taking out a rival group.
So this pretty much negates the NYT headline of "Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration"?
RE: Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration - RobertN - 01-05-2010 02:53 AM
(01-04-2010 10:27 PM)smn1256 Wrote:Quote:The Times' account suggests that Obama's encounter with the daunting realities of international terrorism -- which have led him to embrace many of the very Bush administration policies that he scorned as a candidate -- began much earlier than generally recognized.
So the only way Obama will understand something is for him to go through it himself? Well let him have the health care that he wants to have. Let him drive the cheap and crappy cars he wants us to drive. Let him have very little money and then get taxed to death. Let him compete with an illegal alien to get a job. Let him try to run a company only to have the union workers he employs go on strike and then try to run that company. Let him be called a racist for disagreeing with the policies of people he doesn't agree with.
A reality he truly has to deal with is going down as the worst president in history.
Thanks for my daily laugh.
RE: Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration - Rebel - 01-05-2010 11:14 AM
(01-05-2010 02:53 AM)RobertN Wrote:(01-04-2010 10:27 PM)smn1256 Wrote:Quote:The Times' account suggests that Obama's encounter with the daunting realities of international terrorism -- which have led him to embrace many of the very Bush administration policies that he scorned as a candidate -- began much earlier than generally recognized.
So the only way Obama will understand something is for him to go through it himself? Well let him have the health care that he wants to have. Let him drive the cheap and crappy cars he wants us to drive. Let him have very little money and then get taxed to death. Let him compete with an illegal alien to get a job. Let him try to run a company only to have the union workers he employs go on strike and then try to run that company. Let him be called a racist for disagreeing with the policies of people he doesn't agree with.
A reality he truly has to deal with is going down as the worst president in history.
That's going to happen. Sorry to inform you about your mancrush.
RE: Al-Qaida Targeted Obama Inauguration - SumOfAllFears - 01-05-2010 11:38 AM
(01-04-2010 10:35 PM)Ninerfan1 Wrote:(01-04-2010 09:47 PM)bubbapt Wrote:(01-04-2010 09:40 PM)SumOfAllFears Wrote: What was the order prior to the Oath of Office being administered. I wouldn't bother about Pelosi and Byrd either.
Well, if he was assassinated before he was formally inaugurated -- I'm not really sure -- but I suppose that Biden (assuming he survived an attempt) would become President, with Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Byrd, and then Gates in line.
On the other hand, can a Vice President assume the Presidency if he's never been sworn in as VP?
I thought I read somewhere that they actually take the oath of office in private before going out. That when they do it in front of everyone it's ceremonial in nature.
If that's not the case I would imagine if neither is ever sworn in than Bush would still be president until another election could be held.
There are circumstances where the Oath might be done in private first. But Obama, if I remember correctly, had a redux after, because they got the wording wrong in the public ceremony.
It may have been his first unspoken apology.