Janet Napolitano Has Seen The Promised Land And It Is Barefoot-Optional

Airport psychic Janet Napolitano was listening to the planes go by from the food court, staring into her magic crystal homeland security ball, when she heard a Voice from the Future! It said, "Keep your shoes on, America."

Air travelers will eventually be able to keep their shoes on to pass through security, but the restrictions on carrying liquids on board are likely to remain in place for some time, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a POLITICO Playbook breakfast Tuesday.

“We are moving towards an intelligence and risk-based approach to how we screen,” Napolitano told Mike Allen during a morning forum at the Newseum. “I think one of the first things you will see over time is the ability to keep your shoes on. One of the last things you will [see] is the reduction or limitation on liquids.”

“The solution to many if not all of these inconveniences is better and better technology,” Napolitano added.

The Homeland Security head did not detail the new technology that will be introduced that would allow passengers to keep their shoes on at airport security checkpoints.

She said research and development efforts on the shoe front are progressing, but technology to perform a quick scan that can distinguish harmless liquids from explosives isn’t there yet.

This is terrific news and we can all go back to hiding our lotions and miniature liquor bottles in our shoes now, because of Progress. [ Politico ]