Jindal blasts Obama administration, calls TSA searches excessive

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) blasted the Obama administration's handling of suspected terrorists and called the Transportation Security Administration's controversial search procedures excessive during NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.

"I think the American people are worried when they see an administration worried about reading Miranda rights to the underwear bomber," Jindal said. "[They're] so worried about rights of the terrorists, what about the rights of innocent American travelers?"

Jindal said he understands the need to safeguard the country but is concerned the administration is not employing common sense or intelligence when it allows TSA to deploy full-body scanners and implement aggressive pat-downs as part of airport security. He said there is no reason to search young girls or grandmothers en route to visit family members.

"I'm concerned out of political correctness we're screening people that don't need it," Jindal said, adding that TSA should look at passengers' travel patterns, how they purchased their ticket and other information to screen which passengers pose a threat. 

Jindal said the TSA failed to effectively communicate to the public why it was ramping up security procedures ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

"The administration rolled this out right before the busiest travel time of the entire year, never making their case to the American public," Jindal said. "If they really believe this was a response to a genuine threat, why didn't they make their case to public?"

He also accused the Obama administration of being constantly on defense with regards to terrorist threats.

"It feels too much from this administration like we're playing a defensive game in the war on terrorism," Jindal said, arguing the administration was lucky that attempted terrorist attacks in Times Square and by alleged "underwear bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab were unsuccessful.

"Luck is not a strategy. We need to be rooting out these networks, we need to be killing these terrorists," he added. "The bottom line is — yes, we need to secure our country, but simply playing defense isn't enough."

Jindal repeated that he isn't interested in running for president in 2012, but said Obama could win reelection if he shows a willingness to drop issues like cap-and-trade and card check in favor of reducing the deficit, cutting taxes and taking actions to boost the private-sector economy.