A recent posting on a jihadist website encourages individuals to place bags with innocuous items in public areas. Suspicious package calls into 911 are increasing and some properties have had packages left in front of their buildings by suspicious persons.

The intended purpose of leaving bags is to cause an increase in public disruptions, desensitizing police and security teams, and using up valuable resources. An additional motive for the placement of the device is its use as a test of the response mechanism of law enforcement and security.

Two female suicide bombers approach a train station and execute over 35 individuals and injure over 100 more people. Timing, target, methodology… all have an investigative importance to the event. Rush hour gives you a greater population to impact. The KGB counter terrorism offices were within range. Suicide bombers are practically impossible to stop. But while all of this is important to counter-terrorism investigative efforts, what effect does this event and others like it have on us?

Sadly, most Americans this morning were unaware of the attack. Major cities will have an increase in police presence at the transportation facilities. Most of us will recognize the increase, shake our head and move on. The abundant presence of law enforcement makes us feel good, safe and secure. Much like a floating iceberg more is going on in the law enforcement communities than meets the eye.  Attempts are constantly being made to identify operational plans of small groups who want to conduct this type of attack.

This administration is taking political advantage with our national security. Desperate for a “win”, they capitalize on an opportunity where from their perspective it’s a “win-win” situation. How?

After the debacle that was the Christmas day terror attack, where our Commander in Chief and his top intelligence officer remained on vacation not to interfere with much needed and valuable “family” time, the administration sends FBI agents to Nigeria to meet with Mr. Abdulmutallab’s family. This kinder, gentler approach produces a talkative terrorist who reveals who he trained with and where, as well as other pertinent information they refuse to divulge under National Security issues. However, administration officials are comfortable enough to discuss openly what type of information they have received to give us insight to what they are doing and why their approach worked so well. Now we have information that the next attack is “certain” within the next three to six months. (Note: no increase in threat level).

I feel a great amount of frustration as I watch the evolution of the December 25th 2009 attempted terrorist attack event follow a course we have been down before. As Yogi Berra once said-”it’s déjà vu all over again”.

One cannot ignore the reaction similarities of this event compared to 9/11. The responses to both incidents are strikingly similar. To begin with, the attacks or attempted attack occurred. We then have a rush to respond. Air travel saw increases in security measures with secondary security checks at gates during 9/11, and the taking away of blankets and in-flight entertainment systems in the December event.

Next is the finger-pointing. Who knew what, when, who failed to connect the dots, and how a system failed us. In both cases, our leadership tells us it will never happen again.

The President addresses the American public yesterday trying to explain the failures which have occurred in our intelligence system. He stated no one person can be blamed. This is true; when systemic failures occur, the entire operation fails. Multiple problems existed before this most recent event; some he inherited, some he created.

First, you can’t blame the head of Counter Terrorism for going on vacation during a terrorist attack. He was filing his reports to the President who was on a beach in Hawaii, also on vacation. The country is under terrorist attack and the President is asking for a fax a few times a day about it? Talk about man made disasters and catastrophes!