The Conservative Victory Committee issued the following press release of conservative leaders demanding Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s resignation. The text and the letter mentioned in the press release follow.

ALEXANDRIA, VA. – Representative Michael Burgess (R-TX) and seventeen conservative leaders representing a broad coalition of the center-right movement today submitted a letter to Secretary Janet Napolitano calling on her to resign her post as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Among the signers were Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, Herman Cain from The New Voice, Inc and Wendy Wright with Concerned Women for America (complete letter along with the list of signers below).

Citing her reactions to the Christmas Day failed suicide bombing of Northwest Flight 253 the letter states:

“We are concerned that your performance as Secretary has not been consistent with the high standards required of your job. You have made decisions that are at best highly questionable; at worst erroneous – sometimes dangerously so. And you have on several occasions said things that have been reckless, and demonstrate a lack of understanding of the perilous realities which threaten us as a nation.”

“Under Secretary Napolitano, The Department of Homeland Security focused on labeling political opponents of the president as terrorists and downplaying real threats against the United States by calling them “man-caused disasters”. Her pathetic actions following the Christmas day attack on our nation should be her last act as Secretary,” said Brent Bozell, Executive Director of The Conservative Victory Committee. “Secretary Napolitano is clearly over her head at Homeland Security. She should do the right thing for our nation and step aside.”

Bozell noted that as more and more troubling revelations emerge about the knowledge different government agencies had about the Northwest bomber-wannabe, Secretary Napolitano’s initial response that the “system worked” is inexcusable.

“It may well turn out that the bomber’s own ineptitude may be been the only factor that saved those passengers. Given the overwhelming financial and human resources devoted to America’s security and overseen by Secretary Napolitano, the only honorable act left for her is to submit her resignation so the American people can be assured their safety is in capable hands.”

And here is the letter with signatories:

Dear Madame Secretary,

Your position as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security is one of critical importance in these times when the security of the American people is at severe risk. Failures of judgment and poor decisions on your part can have a more devastating impact on the lives, property and well-being of the American people than those of almost any other Administration official.

We are concerned that your performance as Secretary has not been consistent with the high standards required of your job. You have made decisions that are at best highly questionable; at worst erroneous – sometimes dangerously so. And you have on several occasions said things that have been reckless, and demonstrate a lack of understanding of the perilous realities which threaten us as a nation.

We face threats of enormous proportions on several fronts, most notably from terrorists who wish to – and have demonstrated that they have the ability to – commit acts of violence in order to kill Americans and disrupt our way of life. Your past performance and lack of judgment do not give us confidence that you are able to protect the American people against these threats.

It is with all of this in mind that we write today to call on you to resign as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Your reaction to the Christmas Day failed suicide bombing of Northwest Flight 253 was just the latest of these instances. To publicly declare that the “system worked” when it so obviously did not exhibits a disregard for the responsibilities – and a lack of understanding – of the important job you hold. Twenty four hours later you turned around and said the exact opposite — that the “system failed miserably.” These sorts of wild vacillations serve no one well, and leave Americans feeling unsure of the people and the government charged with protecting them.

Your April terrorism assessment report, “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” would have been a joke were the consequences of your irresponsible focus on conservatives and military veterans as dangers – to the near exclusion of actual terrorists and other real threats to our security — not so dire. This report also absurdly called for the equal security treatment of the Mexican and Canadian borders. Mexico is the source of a ceaseless stream of illegal aliens into our country, Canada is not. And Mexico’s violent drug wars are spilling over the border into the United States with ever increasing frequency. No such situation exists to our north.

And in March, you made the bizarre announcement that terrorist acts would no longer be called what they are – terrorist acts. They would instead be called “man-caused disasters.” This sort of semantic amorphousness typifies your misunderstanding of the gravity of the position you hold and the import of that with which you are charged — the safeguarding of the homeland and the American people.

These consistent exhibitions of irresponsible word and deed leave us no choice but to ask that you step down. Americans need a Homeland Security Secretary with a firmer grasp of the position and its importance.

Please, Madame Secretary, do the right thing – for our nation, and its people.

Respectfully,

Congressman Michael C. Burgess
The 26th District of Texas
United States House of Representatives

L. Brent Bozell
Executive Director
Conservative Victory Committee

Grover Norquist
President
Americans for Tax Reform

Wendy Wright
President
Concerned Women for America

Herman Cain
President
T*H*E New Voice, Inc. Gary Bauer
President
American Values

David Keene
Chairman
American Conservative Union

Elaine Donnelly
President
Center for Military Readiness

Alfred Regnery
Publisher
American Spectator

Tom Winter
Editor in Chief
Human Events

Colin A. Hanna
President
Let Freedom Ring

Richard Viguerie
Chairman
ConservativeHQ.com

Craig Shirley
Chairman
Citizens for the Republic

J. Kenneth Blackwell
Visiting Professor
Liberty School of Law

Jim Martin
President
60 Plus Association

William Wilson
President
Americans for Limited Government

Mathew D. Staver
Founder & Chairman
Liberty Counsel

Andrea Lafferty
Executive Director
Traditional Values Coalition

Janice Crouse
Senior Fellow
Beverly LaHaye Institute

Morton Blackwell
Virginia National Committeeman
Republican Party