Posted on 12/18/2002 7:11:13 AM PST by jern
Edwards targets domestic security
By JOHN WAGNER, Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. John Edwards today will pointedly accuse the Bush administration of doing too little to protect the country against future terrorist attacks and outline a series of initiatives that he says would reduce the risk. "It is time for all of us, without regard to party, to say what every American knows: Washington is not doing enough to make America safe," Edwards says in a draft of a speech he is scheduled to deliver at a Washington think tank. "If the administration continues to do too little, it will be too late again. We must do better." The North Carolina Democrat's proposals include billions in new spending to better equip police departments across the country, to step up border patrols, to increase security at nuclear and chemical plants and to develop a new warning system for the public. He will repeat his call, first voiced in October, to create a new domestic intelligence agency.
Edwards' speech, to be delivered at The Brookings Institution, is the fourth in a series of policy addresses that he is giving in an attempt to distinguish himself from other potential 2004 White House contenders.
"A debate over the president's handling of the war on terrorism is one that Republicans welcome," said Kevin Sheridan, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, in response to word of the speech. "This is the same John Edwards who stood with Tom Daschle in holding up the homeland security bill for months."
That bill, which creates a new Department of Homeland Security, was delayed for much of late summer and fall by a partisan fight over how much leeway Bush should have to dismiss employees of the new agency.
In his remarks, Edwards will suggest that the bill -- authored by a potential 2004 rival, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut -- could result in "modest improvement." But he calls it "a perfect example of how long it takes Washington to come up with an answer that won't even solve the problem."
Aides to Edwards said his package of proposals would cost $10 billion to $12 billion in the first year and $3 billion to $4 billion per year thereafter. Among his ideas:
* Grant high-level security clearances to top officers in police departments across the country so they can receive classified information. The speech notes that while there are 11,500 FBI agents, there are more than 650,000 local police officers "who don't get the respect, or the access ... they need to do their jobs."
* Develop new minimum standards for safety at nuclear and chemical plants, which he identifies as inviting terrorist targets. He claims the administration had been moving in this direction but abandoned the effort after lobbying by the chemical industry.
* Boost the number of immigration inspectors, border patrol agents and consular officials by at least 10,000 to help fix a "badly broken" border-control system.
* Give states $1.5 billion in one-time aid to hire and retain 75,000 police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel, an idea that has been advanced by U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, a New York Democrat.
* Require the administration to work with the private sector and media to develop a better terrorist warning system than the color code now in use. The "scheme from the Attorney General has proven more confusing than helpful to many Americans," Edwards said.
Washington correspondent John Wagner can be reached at (202) 662-4380 or jwagner@mcclatchydc.com.
Wellll, in that spirit Mr. Edwards,..I'd like to say that you're a smarmy, empty-headed little bastard, and that the first agenda of trial lawyer scumbags like you is to spring all the terrorists that our government brings to court.
Over the past several days, we've talked about putting a missile defense syetem in place. How will that help against WMD trucked across the Mexican border? Drudge has talked about "back pack nukes." What are we doing to seal the Mexican border to prevent them from being "packed" across the border?
Am I going to get a small pox shot? Damn straight!! The small pox poison in deliverable form/quantity goes into Cuba. From Cuba, it goes to Mexico and is walked across the border. The Dallas area (maybe Austin, San Antonio or El Paso) makes the best/nearest target and is a very easy shot right up Rte 35 from the border.
We have done nothing to seal the Mexican border. The Mexicans would do NOTHING to ensure that WMD don't cross (they'd use it as another bribe opportuinty).
In fact, there is a good test of improved security along the Mexican border. When northern city street prices of drugs start climbing, we will know that we are stopping some of the 200 tons of drugs that come over every year and, if we are stopping drugs, maybe, we are stopping terrorists and WMD.
Of course he wouldn't suggest that, he is looking for future clinets for his law office, so he can scam mexico out of more more money like he did tobacco.
Hey Eddie you Moron .. Nothing like scaring people for YOUR OWN political means .. but here is a hint for ya .. Washington also mean YOU!!!
Maybe if YOUR PARTY didn't hold things up, more could have been done by now
Tell ya what Eddie .. why don't you go file a Lawsuit against Bin Laddin and Saddam
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