The Boston Bombings: Here Comes the Second-Guessing

[DonViejo]

by Daniel Klaidman Apr 19, 2013 2:22 PM EDT

As the manhunt in Boston unfolds, Obama administration officials are already preparing for the inevitable recriminations surrounding the attack and its aftermath

As the extraordinary manhunt for a suspected terrorist played out in Boston, officials on the scene were focused on the unfolding operation. But back in Washington some officials were already warily turning their attention to the second-guessing and finger-pointing that inevitably follows a terrorist incident.

Throughout the intelligence community, officials were scouring terrorist watch lists and monitoring intercepted conversations to learn anything they could about the origins of the attack and whether any threat remained. But one intel professional conceded that they were simultaneously looking out for any evidence that the government could have missed any advanced warnings or failed to connect the dots in the days or weeks before the Boston attacks. “At this point it’s just part of the ritual,” the source told The Daily Beast. “It goes with the territory.”

So far, nothing has emerged publicly to suggest there has been an intelligence failure of any sort. The administration—and especially the FBI—has gotten high marks for its handling of the Boston bombings. President Obama had been widely praised for his firm but restrained public response.

In the first days after a national tragedy like Boston, the country generally rallies around the flag, unites behind law enforcement, and empathizes with the victims of the violence. The media, for its part, is too preoccupied with gathering the basic facts of a fast-moving story—and placing it in some context—to raise questions about how the government might have erred.

But the Obama administration knows the honeymoon won’t last. They will have to contend with the “what did they know and when did they know it” phase of the story soon enough. And in this highly polarized climate—particularly in the emotionally charged area of terrorism—Obama officials are fatalistically preparing for an onslaught of questions and recriminations.

full article
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/19/the-boston-bombings-here-comes-the-second-guessing.html

[sharp_stick]

1. I'm surprised Congress

hasn't already scheduled some really predictable kangaroo hearings A la the Benghazi idiocy.

[sharp_stick]

6. That's very possible but

they'll need to keep the baseless finger pointing work on the back burner just to maintain the local nutjob donations at a reasonable level.

Welcome to DU.

[geek tragedy]

2. Benghazi II. nt

[pscot]

4. It's hard to see how this could have been prevented

These guys apparently came out of nowhere.

[DonViejo]

5. Not to worry, pscot! The flying monkeys...

and their sewer rat friends will figure one way or another to blame Obama

[Heather MC]

7. They are to busy monitoring dark-skinned people

It is a shame that these guys could get grenades, bomb making material and guns, and not one of the monitoring agencies caught this.


I blame the NRA and all the law makers on the NRA payroll