By Jeffrey Sparshott

    Homeland Security Security Janet Napolitano had a relatively uneventful appearance Sunday on CNN, and that counts as a victory of sorts.

    A year ago, following a Christmas Day attempt to blow up an airliner, Ms. Napolitano caused a furor by saying on CNN that the “system worked.” She quickly clarified her remarks, saying they had been taken out context. She said she meant to convey that the system worked well after Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab failed to set off explosives stitched to his underwear–not before, when Mr. Abdulmutallab was permitted to board the airliner despite warning signs.

    Some called for Ms. Napolitano’s head, but she kept her post. On Sunday, she told CNN that systems to protect the country from a terrorist attack are improving.

    “I guess the overall message is, everything is objectively better than it was a year ago, particularly the aviation environment,” she said.

    In the wake of the Abdulmutallab case, the government has installed full-body scanners at airports and introduced pat-downs for those who refuse the scanners. While some consider the tools invasive, Ms. Napolitano said they’re likely to be in use “for the foreseeable future.”



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