Surly, prepped, obtuse, defensive, appartchik John Brennan, White House Homeland liason, offers his entry for the George R. Tennant Memorial 9-11 Excuse Making Sweepstake.  Displaying banker-like virile certainty, Brennan asserts that the Homeland defense worked "every other day," in 2009, just not on a major holiday over Detroit. Brennan does not mention Major Nidal Hassan. Brennan does not mention New-Mexico-born imam Anwar al-Awlaki. Brennan does not mention the six Yemenis who were returned to their native habitat from GITMO a week before Flight 253. Qualification for big cheese in national security is that you know how to make excuses and growl.  Impressive.  It worked for Tennant.  It may not work for Brennan.  He is all excuses; he is all blame-shifting; he is all grumpy.  "No smoking gun" was an unforced error in language.  Abdulmutallab was smoking like a barbecue.  Will this performance stand?  Nah.  The Homeland hearings are starting in January.  Brennan will get scorched like Abdulmutallab.  It is an election year.  They are offering him as the barbecued goat.  Enough?  Nah.  Pass the sauce. (And Brennan's swerve to run Dick Cheney into the ditch is a self-destructive ploy.  The clock is running down on Brennan's public role.  The resume must already be at Xe.)