Michelle: No, I don’t support whole-body imaging at airport checkpoints

Via the Right Scoop, a minor surprise from my favorite “security mom.” It’s not the privacy concerns that have her worried, although those are real; it’s that, like much of America, her confidence in TSA has simply collapsed. And who can blame her?

In order to provide an illusion of security, we have made air travel impractical for nearly any trip that is less than a full day’s drive.

If you are satisfied with this, then by all means let’s put some new functionary in charge at the Transportation Security Administration without any further thought. If you see a problem here, then perhaps it’s time to re-think everything — including the TSA’s existence as we know it.

We have learned much recently about post-9/11 airport security policies. We do not have a system that failed — we have a system that is designed to fail.

Follow the link for Freddoso’s parade of horribles and see for yourself if he’s exaggerating. I’m on Hannity’s side insofar as I think that even semi-competently administered imaging is better than no imaging at all, but MM’s point about the big-picture failures here — starting with the State Department’s insane recklessness in handing out visas to people from “problem countries” — is the takeaway. Exit question: What’s the bigger surprise today, Michelle opposing extra screening or centrist David Frum pounding the table about profiling?

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