"Unexpected reliability problems."

Screening Tools Slow to Arrive in U.S. Airports - New York Times:

The rollout of the devices, trace-detection portals, nicknamed puffers because they blow air while searching for residue from explosives, had already been far behind schedule. Now the transportation agency is assessing whether to modify the puffers, upgrade them or wait until better devices are available....

Members of Congress and former domestic security officials blame poor management for stumbles in research, turf fights, staff turnover and underfinancing. Some initiatives have also faced opposition from the airlines or been slowed by bureaucratic snarls.

Bureaucratic snarls, indeed. Listen, Bunky, all this technology fetish is not about protecting you from terrorists, it's about selling stuff. You can bet your bottom chip there's a line of gadget peddlers a mile long forming right outside DHS's door. And you can bet your second mortgage most of them have "political ties."

(Image cribbed from The Museum of Unworkable Devices.)