STRATFOR has a writeup explaining the myriad ways that our passport system is broken, overwhelmed, or both. And wouldn't you know it, State's institutional interest in speeding people into and out of the country has more than a little to do with it. Combine that with the looming enforcement of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative for land and sea entrances, and the combination is magic:

Historically, passport examiners have had their performance evaluations based on the number of passport applications they process rather than on the number of fraudulent applications they catch (which has long been a source of friction between the DSS and the Bureau of Consular Affairs). This emphasis on numerical quotas has been documented in U.S. Government Accountability Office reports that have noted that the quotas essentially force examiners to take shortcuts in their fraud-detection efforts. As a result, many genuine passports have been issued to people who did not have a legitimate right to them. The current overwhelming flood of passport applications as a result of WHTI, when combined with a batch of new examiners who are rated on numerical quotas, will further enhance this vulnerability. Unless a passport application has an obvious fraud indicator, it will likely slip through the cracks and a fraudulent applicant will receive a genuine U.S. passport.

The article is pretty long, but well worth it if you're interested in the security aspects of US screening policies. The CT Blog writers has been screaming from the rooftops about the dangerous loopholes in the US Visa Waiver program, which allow visitors from certain countries to enter at will. You'll be glad to know that not only are some of those loopholes still open, but that they've already been exploited by potential terrorists:

There have also been cases of jihadist groups using the passports of militants from visa waiver countries who have died in order to move other operatives into the United States. On Sept. 1, 1992, Ahmed Ajaj and Abdul Basit (also known as Ramzi Yousef) arrived at New York's Kennedy Airport. The two men had boarded a flight in Karachi, Pakistan, using photo-subbed passports that had been acquired from deceased jihadists. Ajaj used a Swedish passport in the name Khurram Khan and Basit used a British passport in the name Mohamed Azan.

At least no one wants to attack us. On account of how charming Obama is.

References:
* The Practical Implications of the WHTI [STRATFOR]
* FBI Director Vindicates Visa Waiver Criticisms By CT Blog Experts [CT Blog]

Previously:
* State Department Kills Congressional Instructions, Figures Out Way To Fund Hamas [Video]
* State Department Public Diplomacy Scores Again - Nasrallah Now Most Admired Leader In The Arab World
* State Department Gets Bright Idea: Let's Screw Israel Even More By Bundling Hamas Into The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process