Security Theatre

This "Touching Special Areas" kabuki theatre is a distraction from the DC-business-as-usual magic show aimed at the American public.
Solution? Either make the airlines responsible for the safety of their passengers and legally liable for any damages or deaths during transport or formally adopt the El-Al screening procedures - and live with it, CAIR. No reason that folks in "fly-over country" should pay for ineffective annoyances like TSA for the frequent flyers from inside the Beltway. I'm real certain that the airlines would quickly fashion faster, more effective and less intrusive procedures that are much cheaper than the TSA-mandated horsecrap that is in place now. That also has the added benefit of placing the costs directly on the end-user instead of the taxpayer.

AKA "win-win".