Why Is DHS Blaming Canada? Homeland Security Napolitano Downplays Mexico’s Illegal Alien Border Problems, Claims Canadian Aliens Are Just As Dangerous
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on April 22, 2009
By Vicki McClure Davidson * Frugal Café Blog Zone
Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano keeps the guffaws coming.
She screws up every time she conducts an interview, quickly becoming the Obama administration’s female version of Joe “Gaffe Machine” Biden. It’s like an America’s Funniest Home Video montage of people falling down or dogs slipping on icy sidewalks, and is hilarious… except, oh no, she’s in charge of our nation’s security.
Now, it’s not funny. It’s incompetent and dangerous. And inexcusable.
From CTV.ca:
Canada to Blame for US Problems with Dangerous Illegal Aliens
U.S. security boss clarifies comments about border
Apr. 22 2009 1:22 PM ET
The U.S. Homeland Security chief has clarified earlier remarks that suggested the 9-11 terrorists entered the U.S. through Canada.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made the comments during a media interview earlier this week, much to the chagrin of Canadians on both sides of the border.
In a release Tuesday night following the interview, she called Canada a “close ally and an important partner” and said she was simply misunderstood.
“I know that the September 11th hijackers did not come through Canada to the United States,” she said in the statement.
“There are other instances, however, when suspected terrorists have attempted to enter our country from Canada to the United States. Some of these are well-known to the public — such as the Millennium Bomber — while others are not due to security reasons.”
Ottawa rushed to defend its border security on Tuesday amid the diplomatic scuffle that broke out over Napolitano’s earlier remarks.
In recent years, Ottawa has invested a great deal of effort into dispelling perceptions among Americans that Canada’s border is an easy entry point for terrorists planning attacks on U.S. soil.
“Unfortunately, misconceptions arise on something as fundamental as where the 9-11 terrorists came from,” said Michael Wilson, Canada’s ambassador in Washington.
“As the 9-11 commission reported in 2004, all of the 9-11 terrorists arrived in the United States from outside North America. They flew to major U.S. airports. They entered the U.S. with documents issued by the United States government and no 9-11 terrorists came from Canada.”
Wilson, who was the keynote speaker at the Border Trade Alliance meeting in Washington on Tuesday, said Napolitano’s staff attempted to tamp down the controversy by blaming the comments on a simple misunderstanding.
“Her comment from her people is that she misunderstood,” Wilson said, adding that he was planning a personal meeting with Napolitano in the near future.
The furor began when Napolitano was asked to clarify statements she had made about equal treatment for the Mexican and Canadian borders, despite the fact that a flood of illegal immigrants and a massive drug war are two serious issues on the southern border.
“Yes, Canada is not Mexico, it doesn’t have a drug war going on, it didn’t have 6,000 homicides that were drug-related last year,” she said.“Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country or suspected or known terrorists have entered our country across a border, it’s been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there.”
When asked if she was referring to the 9-11 terrorists, Napolitano added: “Not just those but others as well.”
However, Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan downplayed the comments and said that Napolitano is well aware that Canada was not the source of the 9-11 terrorists.
“We spoke about it back in March, and we were sharing a chuckle at the fact that the urban myth does circulate,” he told CTV’s Power Play.
“Ms. Napolitano understood quite clearly, then and now, that none of the September 11 terrorists came through Canada, as the 9-11 Commission found.”
Still, that positive outlook wasn’t shared by other Canadian officials.
On Tuesday afternoon, RCMP Commissioner William Elliot expressed frustration with the comments during an interview on CTV’s Power Play. “I was somewhat surprised and disappointed,” he said, adding he hopes the misconception has been cleared up. “I understand and am happy to hear that she has issued a statement acknowledging that that didn’t happen.”
But Thomas d’Aquino, president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, decried Napolitano’s comments on Tuesday.
“I am a longstanding friend and ally of the United States, but sometimes failures in our two-way dialogue cause me to shake my head in sadness and dismay,” he said in a press release.
“The claim that some of the 9/11 terrorists entered the United States from Canada is, quite simply, a myth – an urban legend that began with a handful of erroneous media reports in the days following the terrorist strikes.”
Related reading:
Michelle Malkin: Border agent killed responding to possible incursion and Janet Napolitano screws up again and
Janet Napolitano said what? and Pssst, Janet: Bomb threat against police for detaining illegal alien criminals and More border chaos: U.S. anti-kidnap expert kidnapped in Mexico
Radio Vice Online: Blame Canada, Again
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Shame on Phoenix Mayor Gordon – Accuses Sheriff Arpaio & County Police of Being Racists for Enforcing Illegal Immigration Laws | Videos and Frugal Sheriff: Joe Arpaio Targeted by Democrat Feds for Arresting Illegal Aliens in AZ
Peace and Freedom Global Future: How’s Obama Doing? Just Ask America’s Closest Allies
Unequal Time: DHS chief Napolitano says border jumping “not a crime” and Stop blaming Bush for DHS hit job
The American Spectator: Minutemen Founder to Challenge McCain
Pamela Gellar, Atlas Shrugs: Shocking New Report! Obama’s Real Terrorists: Targeting Patriots and the Right
Corruption Chronicles, Judicial Watch: Illegal Aliens Spread Swine Flu In U.S.
Moonage Political Webdream: Janet Napolitano and the law – immigration
Hot Air: Shouldn’t a DHS Secretary know that illegal immigration is a crime?
NewsBusters: Blogger Targets Malkin, Coulter with Sexist Sleaze
This Ain’t Hell, But You Can See It From Here: Want to know where Napolitano got the fuzzy law on immigration?
Mark Steyn, The Corner, NRO: Canadian-caused Disaster
Knee Deep in the Hooah: I’m not buying it… are you?
Scott’s Slant on Politics: If Man Cannot Govern Himself, How Can He Govern Others?
About the author
All who were left scratching their heads when Obama chose this obedient toady to head Homeland Security now can get a handle on it: a serious choice, focused upon real terrorist threats (not imaginary, partisan ones i.e. the TEA parties)- like, say, a Rudolph Giuliani, wouldn’t have been a willing collaborator in a sham report trashing US vets for the President’s political purposes.
Napolitano’s qualification for this job was simply being a liberal Obama sycophant… certainly not any skills, insight, or ability.
Her statements on the Canadian border illustrate how incompetent and puzzled she is- Neopolitano completely lacks the credentials to be in-charge of protecting our country from the likes of Al Qaida.
Trouble is, narcissist Obama needs to be surrounded by mindless drones to confirm his omnipotence and pollyanna world view. But such appointments as Napolitano and Panetta to vital national security posts are a show of weakness that will surely encourage terrorists and myriad other rogue characters who see America as their enemy- no matter how hard Barack tries to schmooze them.
Anyone who expected this president to place the nation’s practical defense interests above those of his own political security and radical agenda hasn’t really looked at how he got this far in the first place.
http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/
Well said. Napolitano was the governor here in Arizona (my state), she was always a wobbly waffler on AZ border issues with our alarming illegal alien issues, except the couple of days preceding her re-election. Then, she had a photo op signing some kind of “get tough at the borders” papers, and within a few days, her pro-citizen, anti-illegal-alien stance evaporated. She always criticized Sheriff Joe for his passion to thwart illegal immigration here.
When she was selected to go to Washington, my initial reaction was, “Praise God, she’s gone!” Then reality hit me. And I realized she was no longer just Arizona’s problem, but the entire nation’s. Homeland Security? She’s a clueless nightmare and a danger to America’s security.
I think we’re going to be hearing more about DHS atrocities in the coming weeks… Janet isn’t the brightest bulb in the box, and in her puppy-dog desire to look good to Obama, I’ll betcha dollars to donuts that she’s got other wacky, anti-conservative, anti-Constitution proposals, reports, and other loony liberal junk just waiting to explode in her face.
Generally, I think this administration, after 100 days and a display of complete ignorance on selecting cabinet appointments, plus the corrupt congress and senate will display to the world that we are vulnerable.
Make no mistake, the world is watching this and they know our election schedule.
They will take as much from us politically that they can, and with the present administration and congress, going “global” on policies, I fear 2010 can’t come soon enough.