“Dennis Blair” on The Daily Caller

Nearly two months after the BP oil spill, President Obama tapped secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to oversee recovery efforts in the Gulf. Since dubbed the “oil czar” in the press, Obama described Mabus’s new role during an Oval office address to the nation on Tuesday night. (more)

The resignation of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Dennis Blair, is a symptom of a more serious problem within the Obama administration than the failures of the DNI. It’s a problem that won’t disappear with Blair’s departure. Fixing it requires more than appointing the right replacement. It requires a hard look at the DNI position itself and how President Obama and his White House oversee it. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s top intelligence official emerged as the leading choice Friday for what’s fast becoming known as one of the most thankless jobs in Washington — director of national intelligence. The position has a great title, but the office has just claimed its third victim. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — For months, National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair has been a dead man walking — and he knew it. So constant and vicious were the leaks from the White House and Congress of his imminent departure that he opened a recent speech on intelligence reform with a joke that his replacement would be Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb. (more)

The earthquake that put Haiti on the brink of collapse also propelled the U.S. military neck-deep into Web 2.0 and social networking to coordinate a tactical plan for aid. The military has now put its entire effort on the Internet in an unclassified environment for the first time in history. (more)

Everyone has suddenly noticed an elephant in the room: Play the War Card! So right after Daniel Pipes’ column in National Review Online last week, “How to Save the Obama Presidency: Bomb Iran,” pundits from Arnaud de Borchgrave, to Pat Buchanan, to Sarah Palin rushed to approve or disapprove of the idea. They all bring their agendas to the debate, but they all agree a U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would significantly raise Obama’s disastrous approval poll ratings. Like politics, all warfare is domestic. (more)

From “Courting Disaster:” (more)

When asked whether he should have been consulted on the treatment of the “underpants bomber” who attempted an attack on a Detroit-bound jet, National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair answered in a word: “Duh.” (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The would-be Christmas Day bomber boarded his flight in Amsterdam to frigid Detroit with no coat — perhaps the final warning sign that went unnoticed leading up to what could have been a catastrophic terrorist attack, lawmakers were told. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — From Detroit to Afghanistan, scattered terrorists inspired and equipped by al-Qaida have attacked recently with surprising speed and worldwide reach, challenging the U.S. strategy of slowly and deliberately targeting the terror group’s top leaders. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama is standing by three of his top security officials following the attempted airline attack on Christmas Day. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is announcing new measures Tuesday to beef up airline security after an alleged terrorist attempt to destroy a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner on Christmas Day. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is announcing new measures Tuesday to beef up airline security after an alleged terrorist attempt to destroy a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner on Christmas Day. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama asserted on Tuesday the government had enough information to foil the attempted bombing on a Christmas Day airline flight but intelligence agencies “failed to connect those dots” and left nearly 300 passengers and crew in peril. (more)