
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) appeared on Fox News on Sunday and said that it's fair to hold the Obama administration accountable for the near bombing of a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas day.
When asked by host Chris Wallace whether it's fair to blame the White House for the incident, Hoekstra replied, "Yeah, I think it really is.
"The Obama administration came in and said we're not going to use the word terrorism anymore, we're going to call it man made disasters, trying to, I think, downplay the threat from terrorism," added the congressman. "In reality, it's getting much more complex."
Watch the video:
hologram5
December 28, 2009 9:26 AM
This rep is such a joke. I replied to his tweet saying that HE was the terrorist and the guy that tried to blow up the plane was an idiot patsy. What a laugh...
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hunter
December 28, 2009 10:31 AM
So, was it fair to blame the Bush administration for Richard Reid's shoe-bombing attempt?
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EastWest
December 28, 2009 11:08 AM in reply to hunter
That was different. Bush inherited Reid.
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jeffgee
December 28, 2009 11:19 AM in reply to EastWest
And 9/11. That was all Clinton's fault.
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Moloko+
December 28, 2009 10:51 AM
So Mary Matalin's laws of inheritance only go one way? From our guy to their guy - and not the other way?
Republican crazy vs. reality....that's the story for 2010
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CityGuy
December 28, 2009 11:04 AM in reply to Moloko+
Remember IOKIYAR. So you can't blame Bush for 9/11 (even though he was warned of possible terror attacks) or for Richard "Shoe Bomber" Reid (even though we had already been attacked). But seriously, Hoekstra is a tool. The GOP's attempt to blame ALL such incidents directly on the Obama Administration is laughably pathetic.
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jeffgee
December 28, 2009 11:33 AM in reply to CityGuy
Don't forget the anthrax attacks. Maybe they weren't given much investigation priority because all the recipients were Democrats or Mainstream Media people. Once they stopped, the Bush cabal never mentioned them when talking about the War on Terror.
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CityGuy
December 28, 2009 11:54 AM in reply to jeffgee
You are correct. And like bin Laden, that "terrorist(s)" was never captured or killed!
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ilovebacon
December 28, 2009 11:09 AM
Hoekstra is indeed praying for more terrorist attacks so he can blame Obama (as is Cheney, McConnell, Boner, etc.)
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jeffgee
December 28, 2009 11:26 AM in reply to ilovebacon
Both Liz and Dick Cheney.
All that "unity" that Bush got after 9/11 would not happen again. Next successful terrorist attack, the GOP will be calling for Obama's impeachment, minutes after the dust settles. Maybe before, given the hair-trigger of Obama Derangement Syndrome lately.
Hoekstra's problem seems to be that Obama has stopped using the phrase "war on terror", thereby emboldening the terrorists. In the alternate reality of the GOP, talking tough like W is the only thing stopping another attack.
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biff diggerence
December 28, 2009 11:22 AM
This asshole has been on House Intelligence for how many decades?
Yup. He's totally blameless.
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jeffgee
December 28, 2009 11:29 AM in reply to biff diggerence
Obviously, the House Intelligence Committee doesn't require actually intelligent people if Hoekstra is a member.
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Matt Jones
December 28, 2009 11:26 AM
That makes sense - a guy coming from outside the US, last security screened outside the US that lights his pants on fire over the US is clearly Obama's fault. How dare he not control all the airport screening in the entire world!
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ericf
December 28, 2009 12:01 PM
"The Obama administration came in and said we're not going to use the word terrorism anymore, we're going to call it man made disasters,"
Just to ask the obvious, did the administration even say this? I suspect he's making it up, but best to check before removing the "I suspect".
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runfastandwin
December 28, 2009 12:40 PM in reply to ericf
Here is the quote, it is from Janet Napolitano, at her confirmation hearing. The right wing went into full on head explosion mode over it, make of it what you will:
The overriding and urgent mission of the United States Department of Homeland Security is contained in the name of the agency itself. To secure the homeland means to protect our nation's borders by finding and killing the roots of terrorism and to stop those
who intend to hurt us; to wisely enforce the rule of law at our borders; to protect our national cyber infrastructure; and to prepare for and respond to natural and man-caused disasters with speed, skill, compassion, and effectiveness.
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tiowally
December 28, 2009 2:13 PM in reply to runfastandwin
I wonder if she meant poverty, ignorance, U.S. support of despots, U.S. invasions of Muslim countries, you know, the roots of terrorism? Naw.
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slb
December 28, 2009 2:41 PM in reply to runfastandwin
Hah! Funny how the very statement that evidently led to Hoekstra claiming the administration said they weren't going to use the word "terrorism" any more actually includes the word "terrorism" in a key phrase! And how dare Janet Napolitano define the mission of Homeland Security as being broader than just fighting those pesky terr'ists! {rolling eyes}
Hoekstra is a lying fool.
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Marinus van der Lubbe
December 28, 2009 1:19 PM
I don't know...the last people who were in the WH were omniscient and omnipotent....so how can Obama really keep pace with those guys who were there before? I mean, they only allowed 9-11.
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