Former Homeland Security Chief admits being pressured to raise Terror level - Polidicks

[QUOTE=The Examiner]Tom Ridge, the former Secretary of Homeland Security says he was pressured by the Bush Administration the day before the 2004 election to raise the terror threat level. He ultimately rejected raising the threat level the day before the election. He says it would have been such an obvious political move, that would have further destroyed the administrations credibility. These claims come in the form of Ridge's new book, "The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege...and How We Can Be Safe Again." The book was written with Larry Bloom and published by Thomas Dunne Books. The book won't hit stores until September 1st. Ridge claims former Attorney General John Ashcroft "strongly urged" the threat level be raised three days before the election. He also says then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld agreed with Ashcroft in the "vigorous, some might say dramatic discussion," Ridge writes. Just five days prior to the 2004 election, Osama Bin Laden released a video to al-Jazeera that was critical of President Bush, "As you spoil our security, we will do so to you," he threatened. The next day Ridge and his top aides meet at the DHS headquarters to discuss the video tape and possibly raising the threat level, "A threatening message, audio or visual, should not be the sole reasons to elevate the threat level," they concluded, according to Ridge. Given that protective steps had already been taken in advance of the election, "No one felt it necessary to consider additional security measures," Ridge writes. Following the meeting was a video conference with intelligence officials and other Cabinet members. The position to raise the threat level that Ashcroft and Rumsfeld took led Ridge to wonder, "'Is this about security or politics?'" Then FBI director Robert S. Mueller III sided with Ridge, he writes. Instead they advised the President that DHS was 'strongly opposed" to raising the threat level. "I believe our strong interventions had pulled the 'go up' advocates back from the brink," Ridge writes. Ridge also writes, "After that episode, I knew I had to follow through with my plans to leave the federal government for the private sector." The very next month Ridge resigned his position. It should be noted that former Bush Administration officials have denied his claims. Ridge also says his relation with Rumsfeld was distant. He says Rumsfeld rarely made himself available for meetings with his domestic security counterpart. He also claims he was never invited to White House National Security Council meetings. He was routinely "blindsided" by the FBI withholding information from Oval office briefings. His attempts to establish regional Homeland Security offices in seven major cities were thwarted by the bureaucracy. This first came to light when the terror threat level was conveniently raised just one day after the Democratic National Convention. It was seen as an attempt to direct public attention toward the issue where Bush was seen as being stronger (terrorism) and away from questions about Iraq by challenger John Kerry. Some of the intelligence behind the alert was ultimately revealed to be three to four years old, though newly obtained.It should be noted that the threat level was conveniently lowered 8 days after Bush won the 2004 election. "We don't do politics in the Department of Homeland of Security," Ridge said at the time. In the book, he admits that the public skepticism that greeted that warning helped inform his thinking heading into the pre-election discussion. "We could fairly predict the public outcry of a national threat alert without sharing specific and credible information to justify it on the eve of an election," he writes. " . . . [W]e knew there was a widespread suspicion of such motives and tactics, and this could entirely undermine the credibility of not just the department, but the administration." Does this come as a surprise to anyone? This is Bush after all, the man who brought us the Iraq War, financial meltdown, bungling of Hurricane Katrina, torture, Guantanamo Bay, firing of U.S attorneys, just to name a few. The decider would have done anything with in his power to win that election, just like he did to win the 2000 election. It doesn't take a genius to figure out it was political. The threat level was raised a day after the Democratic Convention, Osama Bin Laden released a new tape, all this leading up to the election. Then conveniently the threat level is lowered 8 days after the election. The Bin Laden tape was not something new, he didn't say anything he had never said before. It was all a ploy by Bush to win an election. Big surprise by a man and administration that had no conscience about anything.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.examiner.com/x-16327-Clark-County-Liberal-Examiner~y2009m8d21-Tom-Ridge-claims-terror-threat-levels-were-political[/url] This just sickens me. Talk about the politics of fear. I'm just glad these scumbags are out of office.

Let me ask. Who didn't know it was political? It's not rocket science.

Hopefully the current administration is better at covering up illegal activities.

Obama is no different.

[QUOTE=LOLturtle;16862995]Obama is no different.[/QUOTE] Oh faff off. If we're going to start making claims without evidence, Dick Cheney is Emperor Palpatine, George Bush devoured the live flesh of black children, and the government is run by dinosaurs.

[QUOTE=johnlukeg;16862939]Hopefully the current administration is better at covering up illegal activities.[/QUOTE] lol

[QUOTE=Mr. Mcguffin;16863154]Oh faff off. If we're going to start making claims without evidence, Dick Cheney is Emperor Palpatine, George Bush devoured the live flesh of black children, and the government is run by dinosaurs.[/QUOTE] I knew it!

We are getting closer and closer to realizing its all the government.

[QUOTE=Mr. Mcguffin;16863154]Oh faff off. If we're going to start making claims without evidence, Dick Cheney is Emperor Palpatine, George Bush devoured the live flesh of black children, and the government is run by dinosaurs.[/QUOTE] Oh faff off you left winger.

[QUOTE=LOLturtle;16862995]Obama is no different.[/QUOTE] stop trying to make people think you're Lankist

[QUOTE=Penis Colada;16863339]stop trying to make people think you're Lankist[/QUOTE] Obama is no different, he's using scare tactics right now to sell his health care reform, one of his campaign promises was not to use this tactic and yet he is.

[QUOTE=Mr. Mcguffin;16863154]Oh faff off. If we're going to start making claims without evidence, Dick Cheney is Emperor Palpatine, George Bush devoured the live flesh of black children, and the government is run by dinosaurs.[/QUOTE] Faff off? Just say fuck. "[highlight]FUCK OFF[/highlight]"

[QUOTE=LOLturtle;16863324]Oh faff off you left winger.[/QUOTE] Calling someone a left winger isn't an insult :S

[QUOTE=EliteGuy;16863375]Obama is no different, he's using scare tactics right now to sell his health care reform, one of his campaign promises was not to use this tactic and yet he is.[/QUOTE] The right is saying anything they can right now to scare people so that it will never get passed.

I love how people are using Lankist's avatar for the sole purpose of saying stupid shit and/or trolling.

[QUOTE=Zeke129;16863450]I love how people are using Lankist's avatar for the sole purpose of saying stupid shit and/or trolling.[/QUOTE] Obama is no different. That's not stupid shit to me. Don't be so naive.

[QUOTE=LOLturtle;16863469]Obama is no different. That's not stupid shit to me. Don't be so naive.[/QUOTE] Prove it to me, or Get the fuck out.

[QUOTE=LOLturtle;16863469]Obama is no different. That's not stupid shit to me. Don't be so naive.[/QUOTE] You don't know that Obama is no different. It's a safe assumption, yes, as all politicians are douchebags. But don't come right out and say it as fact.

hearts and [i]minds[/i] people... hearts and [i]minds[/i]...

I think that children should run the world. Seems like a dumbass idea, but think about it. They don't care about laws or loopholes in our justice system... they just care about the thin line between right and wrong.

[QUOTE=EliteGuy;16863375]Obama is no different, he's using scare tactics right now to sell his health care reform, one of his campaign promises was not to use this tactic and yet he is.[/QUOTE] hmm yes lets see what the other side is talking about to oppose health care reform then: DEATH PANELS RATIONING SOCIALISM

[QUOTE=Sigma-Lambda;16864199]hmm yes lets see what the other side is talking about to oppose health care reform then: DEATH PANELS RATIONING SOCIALISM[/QUOTE] We have rationing now. It's called, "Do you have fucking money or insurance?"

[quote=sigma-lambda;16864199]hmm yes lets see what the other side is talking about to oppose health care reform then: Death panels rationing [b]socialism[/b][/quote] OH NO NOT SOCIALISM ANYTHING BUT SOCIALISM OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOD :saddowns:

[QUOTE=Sigma-Lambda;16864199]hmm yes lets see what the other side is talking about to oppose health care reform then: DEATH PANELS RATIONING SOCIALISM[/QUOTE] Only because the American public has consistently proven that fear tactics provoke the strongest reaction. The Republicans wouldn't have made fear their #1 tactic if we as a country weren't dumb enough to fall for it. But yeah, anyone with a real brain realized a long time ago that the terror alerts were just a political tool to drum up a bit of fear every time a new scandal showed up, which was pretty fuckin often. I remember just being flat-out amazed at how Bush administration officials were practically dropping like flies his second term.

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;16866241]Only because the American public has consistently proven that fear tactics provoke the strongest reaction. The Republicans wouldn't have made fear their #1 tactic if we as a country weren't dumb enough to fall for it. But yeah, anyone with a real brain realized a long time ago that the terror alerts were just a political tool to drum up a bit of fear every time a new scandal showed up, which was pretty fuckin often. I remember just being flat-out amazed at how Bush administration officials were practically dropping like flies his second term.[/QUOTE] The Democrats' philosophy is "spend as much money as possible in the least amount of time."

[QUOTE=LOLturtle;16866342]The Democrats' philosophy is "spend as much money as possible in the least amount of time."[/QUOTE] And that's worse than "Scare people shitless to stay in power"?

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;16866360]And that's worse than "Scare people shitless to stay in power"?[/QUOTE] Democrats have used the same tactics so don't start you left wing Obama hailing bitch.

[QUOTE=LOLturtle;16866390]Democrats have used the same tactics so don't start you left wing Obama hailing bitch.[/QUOTE] They didn't invent an on-demand "Be afraid of terrorism" system to drum up a bit of fear every time one of their officials got caught doing some outrageously illegal abuses of power.

[QUOTE=LOLturtle;16866342]The Democrats' philosophy is "spend as much money as possible in the least amount of time."[/QUOTE] Dude that's bullshit, I thought you where Lankist all the time..

[QUOTE=LOLturtle;16866390]Democrats have used the same tactics so don't start you left wing Obama hailing bitch.[/QUOTE] obama sucks republicans suck worse because they are literally evil and want everything bad for this country