Incoming Republican committee heads demand that TSA backs off

This is truly welcome news. Emphasis added.

The incoming leaders of the House Transportation Committee on Friday called the new airport pat-down procedures “overly intrusive” and demanded that the Transportation Security Administration restrict their use.

In a letter to the TSA, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., and Rep. Thomas Petri, R-Wis., who are set to assume leadership of aviation issues in Congress next year when Republicans take control, said only the highest risk passengers should be subjected to the more aggressive pat-downs.

“The entire focus of TSA’s efforts to improve aviation security needs to be revisited,” Mica and Petri wrote in the letter. They accused TSA of reacting to old threats — in this case, the so-called “underwear bomber” who attempted to blow up a jet last Christmas — while failing to be “proactive.”

“Really now, who thinks the public will put up with the kind of behavior that would get you arrested if you weren’t working for the government?” Petri said. “Do we really expect Grandma to go through this?”

Where were Democratic lawmakers on this? Did any of them say anything? Or were they too timid to take a stand, yet again?