GOP Using Terror Attack To Take Political Shots

By Reid Wilson

The political fight over an attempted terrorist attack became more overt as the NRCC has begun hitting House Dems with comments made by Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano.

The NRCC blasted out releases hitting Reps. Chris Carney (D-PA), Steve Driehaus (D-OH), Bill Foster (D-IL), Jim Himes (D-CT), Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH), Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), Eric Massa (D-NY), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bill Owens (D-NY), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) and Dina Titus (D-NV), questioning whether they agree with Napolitano's Sunday claim that the system worked during the failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner.

Napolitano later walked back those remarks in another round of interviews on Monday. Still, GOPers have begun using the incident to suggest that Dems are not adequately protecting the country. Each member hit by the NRCC sits on the House Homeland Security Committee.

"Sec. Napolitano's patently false statements only further the widespread perception that this administration and Democrat-held Congress don't have a strategy to confront the terrorist threat and keep America safe," NRCC comms. dir. Ken Spain said in the release. "Every member of the Homeland Security Committee, including Mary Jo Kilroy, should be condemning Janet Napolitano's absurd statements that 'the system worked' and calling for her to testify before congress. So far the silence from Democrats on Capitol Hill on this gravely serious matter has been deafening."

GOPers, led by Homeland Security ranking member Pete King and Intelligence Committee ranking member Pete Hoekstra, have been ramping up their assaults on the WH and Dems in Congress since the incident happened Christmas Day. The GOP has demanded hearings and briefings on the matter and even criticized Pres. Obama, vacationing in HI over the holidays, for not making a public statement until yesterday. Napolitano's statements on several Sunday shows this weekend gave the GOP an easy target to hit.

On Tuesday, Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) became the first member of Congress to call for Napolitano's resignation over the comments.

"The fact that this security breach occurred in such a brazen way means that there was a level of significant incompetence involved, and I believe that rests solely on the shoulders of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano," Burton said in a statement. "After serving on the Foreign Affairs Committee for the last 25 years, I can say with certainty that Secretary Napolitano does not have the background or experience necessary to execute her responsibilities. Her bizarre remarks on Sunday were the final straw in a series of embarrassing and incompetent comments this year."

Dem aides have hit back, with DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan telling Hotline OnCall that the GOP is "us[ing] this incident as an opportunity to fan partisan flames and raise money for political campaigns." Sevugan accused the GOP of leaving the US with inadequate homeland security protections.

"The American people simply will not tolerate the likes of Mr. Hoekstra and the Republican Party playing politics with the serious issues of national security and terrorism - especially after the mess they left this country in both domestically and on national security after eight years of failed leadership," Sevugan said after Hoekstra sent out a fundraising appeal based on the incident."

And Massa on Tuesday called for several Bush admin officials to testify before the Homeland Security Committee. In a release, he called on ex-DHS Sec. Michael Chertoff, ex-AGs Alberto Gonzales and Michael Mukasey and ex-NSA Stephen Hadley to speak to the committee. Massa also said he hoped Napolitano would testify.

"Vice President Cheney can go on television and make all the accusations he wants, but it now appears that the alleged masterminds of the Christmas day terrorist attempt were released under the not-so-watchful-eye of the last Administration," Massa said in the release.

He also blasted Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who has a hold on Erroll Southers' appointment to head the TSA, saying DeMint had put "partisan politics ahead of our national security."

But aside from Massa, Dem members of Congress have been slower to hit back against GOP attacks. Some aides are privately frustrated that the party has not taken a more aggressive tact, pointing out several attempted terrorist attacks -- like so-called shoe bomber Richard Reid -- that took place during the Bush admin.

Dems have had success in '06 and '08 when national security issues were largely off the table. And the WH appears concerned about being seen as weak on terrorism and national security; Pres. Obama will make another statement to the media about the briefings he has received on the failed attack later today.