MORE ON THE AIRLINE BOMBER – AT 9:30 P.M. ET:  Apparently, we knew more about him than Janet "the system worked" Napolitano is willing to admit.  From London's Telegraph:

Britain told American intelligence agents more than a year ago that the Detroit bomber had links to extremists, Downing Street has announced.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was named in a file of people based in Britain who had made contact with radical Muslim preachers. The file was sent to the US authorities in 2008.

The disclosure will embarrass President Barack Obama, who is already under pressure after failures by US intelligence to identify the bomber.

I'm not so sure he's capable of being embarrassed.  He'll simply pass the buck to someone else.

It will also add to concern over the state of the “special relationship” between Downing Street and the White House following last year’s dispute over the early release of the Lockerbie bomber.

It is extremely unusual for the Prime Minister’s office to comment on intelligence matters. The move could be seen as an attempt to rebuff criticism from senior American figures who claimed that Britain had nurtured Islamic extremism.

COMMENT:  There should be a Congressional investigation of the entire matter.  But Congress is controlled by the Democrats, and they might just crush any inquiry.  After all, it's time to "move on."  Isn't that the standard war cry of the left?  Excuse me, peace cry.

January 4, 2009