Deadly terrorist bombings in Amman, Jordan, last week killed 60 and shook the Jordanian people and government badly. Yesterday, there were political consequences.
Eleven officials in Jordan’s royal court were fired Tuesday by King Abdullah II, Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher said.
Among them was the country’s national security adviser, Muasher said. The reshuffling came less than a week after suicide bombings at three Amman hotels killed 60 people, including three bombers. […]
The king appointed Marouf al-Bakhit, Jordan’s ambassador to Israel, to replace outgoing security chief Saad Kheir, a former intelligence director, according to The Associated Press.
Let me see if I get this straight. A devastating terrorist attack occurs, and in a swift response, the nation’s leader replaces the chief national security official who was on watch, as well as several other top officials. It’s the kind of action that offers an interesting contrast with how Bush treated his national security and intelligence teams after a series of dramatic breakdowns (9/11, Iraq, Abu Ghraib) — the president promoted everyone and presented the nation’s highest civilian honor to the director of the CIA.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Abdullah will not award Kheir with Jordan’s version of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Call it a hunch.