BORED NOW…. After listening to incessant conservative whining for several days now, I realize that the right is targeting Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. I just can’t figure out what it is, exactly, that conservatives think Napolitano did wrong.
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) is complaining that he didn’t like the look on the DHS secretary’s face.
In the wake of the attempted bombing of a plane bound for Detroit, Rep. Peter King (NY-R) criticized Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano for appearing “bored.” […]
“Finally, Janet Napolitano comes out and the first thing she said was everything worked well. And she seemed almost like she was bored to be there. There was no intensity. There was no show of emotion,” he said.
That’s what it’s come to with today’s Republican Party — in the wake of an attempted terrorist attack, one of the first GOP responses is to blast the Homeland Security secretary for her tone and facial expressions. King wants her to be more “emotional.”
Is there something in the water I’m not aware of?
Keep in mind, King went on to say about the Obama administration, “Let me make it clear, I think they are doing the right thing as far as their policies. Since this attack occurred, the FBI and, as far as I can tell, Homeland Security and all the agencies of the United States government are doing the right job.”
So, a leading Republican lawmaker is blasting the head of DHS, not because of her on-the-job performance, but because she was calm and composed during a public statement.
I’m at a loss here. Going after Napolitano for “the system worked” is pretty silly. Going after Napolitano for the look on her face while talking to the media is insane.
And yet, we have at least one GOP lawmaker calling for Napolitano’s resignation, a call that some in the media seem to think has merit. But I still don’t know what it is that the DHS secretary is being accused of. As John Cole put it, “What did she do wrong? Napolitano didn’t change any procedures which then led to the bomber getting through security. She didn’t shift the DHS budget in a way that impacted security. She didn’t botch the response. And her statement is factually correct, and only wrong if you completely distort what she said.” Napolitano’s biggest mistake has nothing to do with her responsibilities and everything to with “giving Republicans (with yet another assist from the liberal media) a sound bite that is easy to demagogue.”
If the right intends to force out a high-ranking cabinet official who’s been doing strong, capable work, they’re going to have to do better than “she seemed almost like she was bored.”
