TSA, DWI, WTF?

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Courtesy of the hibernating Antic Muse (soon to be jacked back into the blogosphere like a sharp, stinging blast of Bhopal's finest) comes this lovely little study in the perils of drinking on the job:

TSA Chief At Dulles Is Charged With DWI
Agency Says Official Had Code Orange Duty
By Steven Ginsberg
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 2, 2004; Page B01

The chief of the Transportation Security Administration at Dulles International Airport was placed on administrative leave yesterday after being charged with drunken driving while he was on duty for a New Year's Eve Code Orange alert, officials said.

Acting federal security director Charles Brady was pulled over about 1 a.m. by a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police officer who saw him driving erratically on Route 28 near Dulles, airport spokeswoman Tara Hamilton said.

Brady, 49, was taken to the Fairfax County jail, where he was booked at 3 a.m. He was released at 1 p.m. yesterday after being charged with driving while intoxicated, said spokesman Lt. Tyler Corey, who described Brady as "extremely cooperative" during his stay.

On a night considered at particular risk of terrorism, with extraordinary security actions in place across the country, Brady was supposed to be at his airport post until 2 a.m. TSA spokeswoman Jennifer Marty said that Brady should have been participating in a security exercise to ensure the safety of air travelers at that hour….

Whole thing here.

Lest ye forget: The cover story of the February Reason, on newsstands now, is "Dominate. Intimidate. Control.: The sorry record of the Transportation Security Administration." Buy it now!