[genna]

Sounds to me like the fit hit the shan and they did the best they could.

That what it sounds like to me, also. Hopefully some good will/has come out of it: fix weak communication links between FAA & Norad, replace all obsolete equipment with state-of-the-art, have more armed F-16's ready to deploy on the eastern seaboard, hardwire transponders into commercial aircraft electrical circuits that can't be turned off, insist all commercial airlines immediately release any information about planes they've lost off their tracking systems, etc.