Janet Napolitano gave a really interesting speech about counterterrorism to the Council on Foreign Relations today, and I gave some thoughts & context here. This, though, is pretty surprising:

I want to add that I also recently appointed a task force of experts to review our existing color-coded threat system – the system originally designed to inform the public about impending threats.

If a better, more effective, and more trusted system can be found, I expect they will find it, and make recommendations to me soon.

On the one hand: good to see she’s empaneling a task force to review the Terror Alerts. On the other hand: Do we really need a task force to review such a patently absurd and intelligence-insulting system to measure terrorist danger? What does it mean to go to Yellow to Orange? What would it mean to ever drop down to blue? It’s ridiculous and childish, and if the task force is a clever move by Napolitano to ease into the abolition of the Terrorist Coloring Book, then fine, but really now. Is there any actual political risk incurred by saying we’re going to act like adults?