Bad Report Card: What Should Your Reps do to Improve Their Grades?

Americans have to manage the long-term threat of terrorism. This security problem isn’t going anywhere, and we have a long way to go to improve on our response.

And even though there is no such thing as complete and total security, members of the 9-11 Commission remind us that our government has not completed all of the recommendations made in the best-selling report.

While promoting their book Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9-11 Commission, two former commission members, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, have been speaking out on the need for better security. Kean, the former Republican governor of New Jersey, says he is surprised that the nation hasn’t been attacked again.

Kean and Hamilton’s warnings encourage us to stay in touch with our representatives so that we can insist that they prioritize reliable intelligence, adequate funding, and strategic planning for our security.

Bad report card

Kean and Hamilton are concerned that terrorists are acquiring nuclear weapons. In their book, the commission co-chairmen warn: "These are the weapons Osama bin Laden has promised to obtain and use...such a possibility must be elevated above all other problems of national security."

Although there has not been an attack, the prevention of nuclear terrorism gets a "D" from Kean and Hamilton. They explain that just half of Russia's nuclear materials have been deactivated under a US-Russia agreement to reduce nuclear weaponry; the other half is a risk. "This is unacceptable," they write, "The terrorists will not wait. We still do not have a maximum effort against the most urgent threat to the American people."

The prescreening of airline passengers and the improvement of checkpoints to detect explosives received low marks from the commissioners as well. And on border security, they fault the lack of a comprehensive screening system.

Kean and Hamilton give an "F" for security funding. The 9-11 commission recommended that new funding for homeland security be given to the riskiest targets. High on the list are New York, Washington, and Los Angeles. Instead, a lot of the funding has gone to special projects in areas and small towns that are unlikely to be targeted.

The co-chairmen establish that reform within the Congress is their most difficult recommendation to be implemented. "Now more than ever," they write, "Congress needs powerful oversight committees for intelligence and homeland security. Because so much information is classified, Congress is the only source of independent oversight on the full breadth of intelligence and homeland security issues before our country."

Congress gets another "D" for not creating a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board that was recommended by the commission. "Funding is insufficient, no meetings have been held, no work begun ... robust and continuing oversight, both within the executive and by the Congress, will be essential."

On the other hand, Kean and Hamilton seem generally pleased with the restructuring of the intelligence community but warn against the layering of more bureaucracy.

Intelligence

Intelligence officials have identified Iran as a top security issue. The House Intelligence Committee released a report on August 23, 2006 that recommended more undercover work on Iran and identified serious intelligence gaps on the country’s plan to produce nuclear weapons.

The report says, "US policy makers and intelligence officials believe, without exception, that the United States must collect more and better intelligence on a wide range of Iranian issues - its political dynamics, economic health, support for terrorism, the nature of its involvement in Iraq, the status of its nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons efforts, and many more topics of interest."

Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the Michigan Republican who chairs the committee, believes Iran is committed to undermining Middle East peace and says its support of radical Islamists with weapons and money equals very real danger.

Money

The House and Senate have agreed to add $20 billion in supplemental spending to the 2007 defense authorization bill.

Military officials warned Congress of potential shortfalls that would seriously compromise operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The money will go directly to replacing lost and worn-out equipment for the Army and Marine Corps. The total bill now costs $70 billion.

With so much defense funding going to Iraq and Afghanistan, what is left over for security efforts at home? Lawmakers agree it is a tight budget, and many wonder if we can continue to pay for Iraq and Afghanistan as conflicts in those countries multiply and escalate.

What do you think?

The threat of terrorism is real and lasting. How ready are you to live realistically with our long-term security needs? Are you willing to spend our tax dollars on the cities at risk or do you expect your representatives to spend the money where you live?

Your input matters

Your representatives in Congress DO care what you think. Especially now -- 2006 is an election year and many representatives will be looking to reconnect with their constituents. Let your congressmen and women know what you think! Give your senators a piece of your mind! To get to your reps, click here.

To explore our archive of past Security Life Issue updates, click here.

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Update Posted on: 9/1/2006