Right Back Into Politics: The ARROGANCE of Homeland Security

Let's examine this pull quote from today's interview with Janet Napolitano, on Sunday's CNN broadcast of "State of the Union":

Napolitano defended the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, who didn't know about a roundup of terrorist suspects in Britain when asked about the arrests on ABC News earlier this week. The gaffe created an awkward moment for the man in charge of the nation's intelligence community.

Napolitano and President Barack Obama's homeland security adviser, John Brennan, appeared on the show with Clapper. They said Clapper had been preoccupied with handling problems on the Korean peninsula and passage of a nuclear weapons treaty with Russia.

Napolitano said in the CNN interview that homeland security officials were fully aware what was happening in Britain.

"Well, let's be fair," she said. "I knew. John Brennan knew ... So one of the things I think that should be very clear to the American people is that those of us in homeland security who needed to know, we knew."

[I wrote about Clapper's ignorance last Thursday, here.]

So let's be clear, besides "fair":

It's apparently more important that Janet Napolitano knew of London's case arrests than the DNI, the Director of National Intelligence, the US head of the entire intelligence community, the boss of the CIA, the NSA, the NRO, the DIA, and certainly -- many levels down -- Janet Napolitano?

Translation of "Napolitano-speak" to the DNI and to American's DEM:

1. I knew more than Clapper;

2. I don't mind throwing him under the bus;

3. I'm covering my ass no matter what Clapper says;

So let's again be clear; it seems to me that we're only getting two predominant "ances" from America's intelligence community these days: ignorance or arrogance. Take your pick; it's hourly-dependent.

Or do I miss my mark?

BZ