From Popular Science:

The bomb blast was meant to gauge what might have happened if the Flight 253 suicide bomber succeeded.

An explosion aboard Flight 253 on Christmas Day would not have crippled the Boeing 747, according to a recent test that simulated the success of would-be bomber Umar Abdulmutallab.

Home comforts: Al-Megrahi with his family at their villa last year
after he was freed on compassionate grounds

Freed from his life sentence, the Lockerbie bomber was sent home by the Scots on compassionate grounds because he had ‘just three months’ to live.

But six months later, Abdelbaset Ali Mohamed al-Megrahi is still living – and doing it in the lap of luxury.

Yesterday, his elderly father even held out the prospect of him beating the prostate cancer that doctors said would kill him by last Christmas.

Read more ….

My Comment: Everyday that this convicted mass murderer lives, everyday it makes a mockery of British/Scottish justice and any “moral” position that it believes it holds.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

This NPR News investigation explores the life and path of the Nigerian man accused in the attempt to blow up a U.S.

DNI: Politics Impedes Investigation — Politico

The nation’s top spy says politics is hindering the ability of intelligence officials to deal with the aftermath of the Christmas Day bombing attempt.

Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair says the politicking on the issue has been “high” and that it hasn’t “been very particularly good” for the intelligence community — even as his own White House bosses and congressional Republicans continue to spar over the issue, leaking information to the media and hammering each other in public.

Read more ….

Update #1: Mitch McConnell attacks President Obama’s terrorism policies — Politico
Update #2: AG Holder says he made decision to charge Christmas Day terror suspect; no dissent by others — Star Tribune

My Comment: Washington is all about politics ….