Media Jackpot! With security tensions at a post-9/11 high since Christmas Day’s attempted airline attack, the news media is all over any hint of a disturbance in the air, like a fly on… um, honey. The latest involves a CNN report of a 56-year-old man, Joseph Hedlund Johnson, charged with “interference with the performance and duties of a flight crew member or attendant” on a plane to Hawaii. And a Gilligan’s Island reference!

President Barack Obama was given a written report entitled “Key Homeland Threats” just three days before Christmas, warning of possible impending terrorist attacks in the United States, according to Newsweek, in a media situation very reminiscent of George W. Bush‘s infamous pre-9/11 “Bin Laden Determined To Strike in US” report. Could this spell a wave of bad press for Obama as the news cycle kicks back into gear after the holidays?

It’s been somewhat amusing this past week to hear media types express surprise over the fact that last week’s attempted bombing of Flight 253 resulted in an immediate round of partisan finger-pointing on Capitol Hill. I’m not sure what people were expecting after a year that must have set the record for bitter partisanship battling, but I shudder at this point to think what it would to take place to have both parties agree on…anything

President Obama’s penchant for golf has made headlines before (though for very different reasons) so I guess it was just a matter of time before it became suspect in light of how long Obama took to address the nation after the Christmas Day terror attack. Golf might just be this White House’s version of clearing brush.

It’s not entirely clear from the image running on Drudge right now whether suggested new airport security measures that would involve installing full body scanners in airports (something that has been suggested by security experts and which O’Hare has on order) are a scary proposition for the people being scanned or the scanners. Behold.

Maybe Maureen Dowd should take over national security (hey, apparently the people in charge have not been doing all that much!). According to today’s column MoDo practically predicted that there would be a terrorist attack over the holiday.

Birther diehard Orly Taitz, perhaps taking a page from the Sarah Palin internet memo handbook, had this to say in the aftermath of last week’s averted terrorist attack on Northwest Flight 253, which may or may not qualify as sedition.

“Readers keep emailing me to tell me that as far as cable news is concerned, today’s events might as well be happening on Mars. I cannot confirm this because when real news happens, the last place I look is the cable news channels. But I cannot say I am surprised. Since this does not have [...]

Looks like the failed terror attack of Flight 253 has brought xenophobia back in vogue! Already numerous columnists and opinionators have voiced an eagerness to begin profiling at airport security lines. Even producers at CNN have gotten in the act, though not through the booking of guests, rather, through the broadcasting of a caller during Rick Sanchez‘s show yesterday.

President Obama stepped away from his Christmas vacation in Hawaii to hold a short press conference in order to address Friday’s averted terrorist attack aboard Northwest Flight 253 as well as the escalating conflict in Iran. The President appeared without tie, or teleprompter, to reassure the nation that “we will not rest until we find all who were involved and hold them accountable” and that “the American people should be assured that we are doing everything in our power to you keep you and your family safe and secure during this busy holiday season.”

This holiday weekend featured news of not just one, but two potential terror attacks. Had this happened during the Bush Administration, we would have had a steady diet of Tom Ridge and color-coded terror alert system bars. Under President Obama — we finally see him speak three days after news broke. Were we better off with or without the color bars (and all that came with it?) Or put another way, should we be freaking out right now or not?

It’s a good week to hate on the TSA. After thanking God that would-be terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab failed in his attempt to blow up Northwest Fligth 253 on Christmas Day, the focus has shifted to the colossal, multiple failures of the system on that day (Flying even though he was on a watch list? [...]

Another incident has been reported on Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, CNN and BNO News are reporting. Details are still coming in, but here’s the information that’s available thus far, as gleaned from Twitter.