Mica: Napolitano 'needs to go' as Homeland Security secretary

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano should be replaced as the head of the agency charged with protecting the country against terrorism, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) said this week.

Appearing on the Fox Business channel for an interview with Lou Dobbs, Mica criticized Napolitano's recent announcement that most children under 12 years old would no longer be subjected to pat-downs at airport security.

Mica, who has frequently criticized the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and pushed to privatize airport security, said the announcement telegraphed U.S. anti-terrorism techniques.

"I think it's time for Napolitano to go," he said in the interview with Dobbs. "She doesn't have a clue."

Mica has come out strongly against TSA pat-downs for passengers of all ages, but he said the Homeland Security Department was "out of control" under Napolitano.

"That's the way they're operating things," he said. "You shouldn't announce what you're going to do with those procedures. If I was a terrorist, what would I do? Look for the gaps. It's symbolic of all the things they need do."

Announcing the change this week, Napolitano said, “There will always be some unpredictability built into the system, and there will always be random checks even for groups we are looking at differently, such as children under the age of 12.

"But I think the traveling public will begin to see some of these changes, really, in the coming months."

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