President Bush and Chairman Thompson go head-to-head
President Bush &
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS)
I suppose it was inevitable that immediately after President Bush proudly unveiled his "updated" National Strategy for Homeland Security on October 10, that Rep. Bennie Thompson, Democrat from Mississippi and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, would bluntly ask, "What’s new?" in the updated document and then point to his own roster of uncompleted homeland security tasks which he calls his Chertoff To-Do List.
Can’t these guys get along?
Knee-jerk reactions have become so ingrained in Washington, DC, that every politically oriented piece of paper issued by one side is instantly countered with an equal and opposite piece of paper issued by the other.
On the one hand, a fair-minded observer might get frustrated with this never-ending battle of bullet-point papers. But, on the other hand, if you assume that "truth" lies halfway between both Power Points, this recent flurry of press releases might guide us toward that hallowed middle ground.
To that end, I submit a brief synopsis of President Bush’s self-proclaimed successes and an equally brief synopsis of Chairman Thompson’s retorts:
( 1 ) The president noted the importance of fostering a "Culture of Preparedness" among the American public, and vowed to establish a "Homeland Security Management System" within DHS -- and among all stakeholders -- that theoretically can improve security guidance, planning, execution and evaluation.
Thompson wasn’t buying it; particularly the part about better DHS management. He pointed to the "critical vacancies" currently affecting upper management at DHS, and urged Secretary Michael Chertoff to "develop a plan for the mass exodus that will occur due to an Administration change."
( 2 ) President Bush hailed the newly-revised strategy paper because it provides a framework "to deny terrorists and terrorist-related weapons and materials entry into our country and across all international borders." He didn’t note that no terrorist attack has taken place in the U.S. since 9/11, perhaps because that heartening fact probably has been noted frequently enough.
But Bennie Thompson was having none of it. His Chertoff To-Do List insists that DHS issue long-awaited standards and procedures for cargo container seals, as mandated by both the SAFE Port Act of 2006 and the 9/11 Commission’s report. He also demanded to see the prompt issuance of TWIC cards for maritime personnel, as required by the same port security act.
( 3 ) The president hailed his administration’s efforts to "disrupt terrorists’ ability to operate within our borders, and prevent the emergence of violent Islamic radicalization in order to deny terrorists future recruits." This was a rather vague formulation of administration policy, but the central point seemed to be that Bush favors a continued tightening of domestic controls on suspicious characters.
Again, the Mississippi Democrat was unimpressed. He pointed to his handy To-Do List, which he first unveiled on September 5, and noted that DHS still must complete several border security initiatives he deemed critical. He insisted that Chertoff "implement US-VISIT biometric air exit by the end of calendar year 2008" and complete a U.S.-Mexican border control initiative called Project 28.
( 4 ) Perhaps with the Katrina debacle still fresh in his mind, President Bush lauded the revised National Strategy
for strengthening the foundation of an effective coordinated national response to a future catastrophe. "This includes clarifying roles and responsibilities across all levels of government and the private and non-profit sectors," the president noted.
Thompson essentially countered with, "Where’s the beef?" His mandate to Secretary Chertoff was clear: "Release [[[ the ]]]long overdue NRP [National Response Plan] while ensuring adequate input from state and local officials."
So, the back-and-forth on homeland security matters will no doubt continue between Republicans and Democrats until a new occupant moves into the White House, and perhaps thereafter as well.
Bush claimed his revised strategy "reflects our increased understanding of the threats confronting the United States," while Thompson alleged that the same document "attempts to define successes in border security, information sharing, and bio-preparedness, which have not yet been realized."
Go figure.
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