by Alana Semuels and Mark Silva
HONOLULU -- President Barack Obama got a briefing this morning from his homeland security advisor, John Brennan, about the government's terrorism watchlist -- a review that the president ordered after the attempted bombing of a U.S.-bound airlner on Christmas Day, the first day of his family's holiday vacation in Hawaii.
The Obama family headed off for an early New Year's Eve movie, arriving at the Windward Mall in Honolulu shortly after 9 a.m HST -- for Avatar.
The 3-D adventure flick is set in 2154 and features blue aliens and distant planets. It has been described by some as a criticism of the war in Iraq. There are no clues as to whether Obama will agree with that comparison -- the press traveling with the president were not invited into the theater. Neither was anyone else, as the first family had reserved the movie theater.
This is a long New Year's Eve for the president, however. He still will be reviewing results of the two-day review that he ordered up after the attempted bombing of a flight bound for Detroit last Friday.
The president said in a statement from Hawaii today that he spoke with Brennan about "preliminary assessments from the ongoing consultations I have ordered into the human and systemic failures that occurred leading up to the attempted act of terrorism on Christmas Day and about our government-wide efforts at continued vigilance on homeland security and counterterrorism efforts.''
He also spoke with Janet Napolitano, the secretary of Homeland Security who initially had said on Sunday that the "system worked'' after the thwarted attack and then allowed the next day that the system hadn't worked. Obama has admitted to "human and systemic failures'' in intelligence and security that led to a near catastrophe.
"I anticipate receiving assessments from several agencies this evening and will review those tonight and over the course of the weekend,'' the president said today. Next week he will meet personally with agency heads to review ongoing "security enhancements and intelligence-sharing improvements in our homeland security and counterterrorism operations.''
No word on the movie.
(A Navi warrior in the film "Avatar'' is pictured above, with thanks to WETA / Twentieth Century Fox.)
Comments
Why does much of this item read like it was written by the White House press office?
For instance, this paragraph reads exactly like a press release from the White House:
"This is a long New Year's Eve for the president, however. He still will be reviewing results of the two-day review that he ordered up after the attempted bombing of a flight bound for Detroit last Friday."
Posted by: John D, still right, as usual | December 31, 2009 5:31 PM
It was a great movie.
I'm sure Obama picked
up on the evil corporation theme, destroying a peaceful society. But I hope he also learned that when anyone attacks you, you must fight back to defend your way of life.
You can't sit back & hope peace will win the day. As this movie showed it does not always triumph. Peace comes with a cost. Got that Mr. Nobel?
Posted by: wingnut master | December 31, 2009 5:57 PM
This is the competent way to handle these things. Very refreshing after the Bush administration's inability to accept failure (9/11, Richard Reid, etc.) The president is doing a remarkable job in the face of partisan attacks.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Posted by: matt | December 31, 2009 7:52 PM
"This is the competent way to handle these things"
Posted by matt/ 12/31/09
300 innocent people were almost bown out of jumbo jet over Detroit and this loon calls president panty waist "competent?"--"very refreshing"...golfing, tennis, basketball,and surfing while waiting three days to address the nation?
Shame on your parents and the public high school you attended.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | December 31, 2009 9:49 PM
I just don't understand. Those of you who know it all should volunteer your superior minds to the cause. Why are you just sitting at your keyboards complaining on this blog when you obviously have the answer to the world's ailments?
Posted by: lochnessmonster | January 1, 2010 7:20 AM
I feel so much better knowing Obama is doing what he does best, ordering a review of another failure by his team. I wonder if he'll ever make a decision on anything.
Posted by: Bart | January 1, 2010 9:11 AM
This is news? Oh I forgot its about Obama and the mania that still follows this fool. When is the media going to get a grip on itself and go back to reporting the news and stop hero worshipping this fool?
Posted by: roundlaketom | January 1, 2010 9:20 AM
WHO CARES WHAT THEY DO IN THEIR FREE TIME. STOP REPORTING THIS USELESS NEWS TO US
Posted by: Mary | January 1, 2010 9:41 AM
Mary I can remember when Reagan was in office and how they reported every time he was on vacation. And every president since then. But, during the Bush presidency every time he went to his ranch or Camp David the media was all over it. Plus the Liberals bitched and moaned every time. What people don't seem to remember is that Bush took very little vacation in his first three years. And let's look at Obama's fundraising. Obama is coming up on his first full year in office and has already been to or held over 50 fundraisers, in Bush's first year it was nine. And Bush never flew to HI. for vacation, how much do you think Obama's trips are costing us compared to Bush's? But I did enjoy the movie and I hope Obama does to. I find it hard to believe he took his youngest to see the movie, and I thank she most likely saw a different movie.
Posted by: Crooks_In_DC | January 1, 2010 6:20 PM
who cares what the Obama's do
Posted by: ralph | January 1, 2010 7:09 PM
This movie should have been Robotech. Aside that, the future wars will be mostly robotics. . .
Posted by: HmongRodneyKing | January 2, 2010 3:00 PM
This entry is nearly as bad as the absolutely nauseating WaPo piece today about how just really gosh-awful hard it is for Obama to go on vacation, with all kinds of anonymous quotes -- from administration officials, natch -- about his briefings, and phone calls, and whatever. Of course, he did a lethargic briefing, 3 days after a terrorist attack, and then went golfing.
Come on -- he's hardly working. And he resents even that time away from fun.
Being president is lots harder than it looks and he's woefully not up to the task
Posted by: beth | January 2, 2010 7:55 PM
Crooks -- Very little vacation in first three years? You're joking, right? According to a Washington Post article in Oct. 2003, Bush had spent 250 days -- or 27% -- of his Presidency on vacation by that time. That would be during the first two years of his Presidency. And he spent most, if not all, of August 2001 at his ranch in Crawford. Care to retract your statement?
Posted by: Milw-Town | January 3, 2010 7:49 PM