What does "isolated extremist" really mean?

I believe that it is Obama’s perception of Abdulmutallab as an “isolated extremist” that is the real source of the intelligence calamity so dramatically revealed in this case. It is true, of course, that this dispiriting intelligence failure goes back to the Clinton and Bush years, even though Bush did almost uniquely grasp the very essence of the holy Muslim terror. But what the president has done is to wrap the Islamic orbit in a sweetly scented cashmere afghan (if you’ll permit this ironic choice of words) that disguises the reality of the real Islam of this world. Obama has done this grandly several times, most especially with his addresses in Istanbul and Cairo, but also in his more quotidian remarks. The failure of the CIA and the other alphabet agencies to connect the dots is a methodological failure. The president’s failure to grasp the realities is an ideological and psychological failure. In a top-down structure, the top always has the advantage…

The president’s cool cannot change that. All that he can do, if that is what he wants, is to divert America’s attention from a massacre culture. But it is not likely to work. The economic imbroglio may allow him to divert us a little longer from this historic crossroads. There is also just a chance that he’ll realize he was wrong and admit it to the great public. I’m not sure I’d bet on that. In any case, the American people see the facts and they will be fooled no longer. It’s ironic that a terrorist assault that had no victims has clarified the truth of our circumstances.