Chasing air terrorism tactics is closing the barn door after the horse escapes

Perhaps the most head-scratching legacy of the past decade is going to be how ragtag bands of misguided men, financed by shadowy figures but not part of any state entity, managed to bring a superpower to its emotional needs. It took nineteen men with boxcutters to do it at the start of the decade, but only one with an explosive taped to his nutsack at the end of it. Ever since the 9/11 attacks, we've been "tightening airport security" in ways that chase the most recently-used tactic, and don't take at all into account that there's no limit to the ingenuity that people who are not only willing, but eager to die are going to use. Richard Reid tries to ignite explosives in his shoes, and we have to take off our shoes. Someone tries to mix an explosive using toiletries, and we can't take anything larger than 3 ounces on a plane. Now there's indications of a coming ban on the use of ANY electronic device on international flights -- no CD players, no iPODs, no Gameboys, no laptops, nothing.

And while the TSA claims that it doesn't want to "tip off terrorists", the restrictions are leaking out:

The government was vague about the steps it was taking, saying that it wanted the security experience to be “unpredictable” and that passengers would not find the same measures at every airport — a prospect that may upset airlines and travelers alike.

But several airlines released detailed information about the restrictions, saying that passengers on international flights coming to the United States will apparently have to remain in their seats for the last hour of a flight without any personal items on their laps. It was not clear how often the rule would affect domestic flights.

Overseas passengers will be restricted to only one carry-on item, and domestic passengers will probably face longer security lines. That was already the case in some airports Saturday, in the United States and overseas.

So if your five-year-old has to pee during the last hour of the flight, too bad. If you want to carry a handbag and your laptop bag, too bad. And none of this is going to make one iota of difference, because those who would try to bring down jetliners have already come up with a new and different way to get explosives on planes. How much of checked baggage is really checked for explosives again? And are we going to start doing cavity searches? What makes the TSA think that a guy who seeks martyrdom is going to balk at carrying plastic explosives in his rectum? Is this where we're headed? Cavity searches for everyone? What is this, Beavis and Butthead Do America?

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Looneytunes) is blaming Barack Obama for the failed terrorism attempt. I guess Obama should have flown to Nigeria and screened Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab himself. Perhaps he's also muttering into his breakfast mug of Wild Turkey that since Obama has a funny name too and African roots, they're in cahoots. But what no one seems to want to look at here is George Bush WAS half right about one thing: These people are very resourceful. They're looking at holes in our security, and there is absolutely no way to plug all of them.