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TERROR IN AMERICA -- brought to you by the U.S. State Dept. Quotable:

In an epic-sized 567-page report, the 9/11 Commission glossed over one of the most important aspects of the attack: all 19 of the hijackers entered the United States on legal visas, even though at least 15 of them didn�t qualify to do so under the law. And the panel mostly shrugged off the U.S. policy that Saudis were granted easier access to visas than any other Arab country .. The Saudi visa policy was the natural result of the �courtesy culture,� an effort spearheaded by the former head of Consular Affairs, Mary Ryan, which started with her appointment in 1993. The goal was simple: make �customer� service and satisfaction the top priority in visa policy .. What the commission should have explained is that the errors and blank fields would have been serious enough for all of the applicants to be refused, if the applicants had come from any other nation. A telling example is the U.S. destinations listed on the applications. This is hardly a trivial tidbit, as it is supposed to be used to determine if the travel plans are legitimate. The hijackers listed such specific locations as �California,� �New York,� �Hotel D.C.,� and simply, �Hotel�. Practices have gotten somewhat better in Saudi Arabia since 9/11. The most egregious program, Visa Express, which allowed Saudis to apply for visas at travel agents, was shut down in July 2002. Mary Ryan was pink-slipped on the same day, though her replacement was Maura Harty, her prot�g� and clone, who has done little to effect meaningful change."

Massive, bloody failure -- it rarely costs you anything in the "protect your fellow hack" culture of Washington, D.C. Posted by Greg Ransom | TrackBack