Schooling the president on what is a 'terrorist act'

No, Mr. President, it was not an "attempted act." It was in fact a real, bone fide, actual, real-life, genuine, authentic, honest-to-goodness, factual, concrete, you-betcha act.

Man with bomb gets on a plane. That's it. That's the act. Right there. See it? It's jumping up and down and waving a flag. It's yelling "Yoohoo!" Hey, over here. I'm the act. Look at me!"

That, Mr. President, is what you failed to prevent. You do not get a B+ grade. This is pass-fail. Prevent man with bomb getting on plane = pass. Permit man with bomb to get on plane = fail.

Furthermore, it was quite successful terrorism in that people are more afraid to fly today than they were a few days ago. So, by the only criteria that matters for the terrorism-making people afraid-what happened over Detroit on Christmas Day was in fact quite successful. I for one wouldn't be more frightened of flying had the plane been blown out of the sky and hundreds of lives lost than I am today. I'd be considerably sadder, but no more frightened.

Hell. I'm more afraid today when a plane flies overhead.

Because a man with bomb got on a plane.

I'm certainly more frightened of flying, Mr. President, than I was during those dark years when the apparatus of intelligence and defense was in the hands of your constitution-shredding not-as-articulate-as-you predecessor.

It was a long time ago, back in November in fact, when another terrorist was successful attacking innocent Americans at Fort Hood, Texas. That was an act, too. A successful terrorist act.

The penetration of our defenses by a terrorist a few days ago, was the second successful attack on the United States in the last few weeks.

And, Mr. President, those weeks belong to you.