U.S. President Barack Obama
Today, President Barack Obama strongly criticized the F.B.I. and C.I.A.'s failure to "connect the dots"
President Says U.S. Missed Key Bomb Clues
JANUARY 5, 2010, 9:51 P.M. ET - WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama, in his harshest remarks yet on the terrorism threat facing the nation, said U.S. intelligence agencies knew that al Qaeda in Yemen was targeting the U.S., but "failed to connect those dots" to thwart a Christmas Day bombing attempt.
The remarks capped a day in which the president, facing heat from Republicans over what they paint as a lackluster initial response, summoned most of his cabinet and security team to meetings on counterterrorism in an effort to show his administration's engagement on the issue...
Obama sharply criticizes intelligence failure in Christmas bombing attempt
Posted: 01/05/2010 06:50:40 PM PST - WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Tuesday that U.S. intelligence agencies could have prevented the attempt to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day, and used a grim and forceful White House statement to demand rapid improvements in efforts to protect Americans from attack.
"This was not a failure to collect intelligence," Obama said after meeting with senior national security and intelligence officials, "it was a failure to integrate and understand the intelligence that we already had. ....That's not acceptable, and I will not tolerate it."...
"Our intelligence community failed to connect those dots," the president said. "We have to do better, and we will do better, and we have to do it quickly. American lives are on the line."...
