Secretary Ridge

I have a great deal of respect for the years of public service that Tom Ridge, Secretary of Homeland Security, has to his credit. His work is honorable and his commitment is enviable. He's working with great discipline and purpose towards a seeming insurmountable goal; the safety and security of the United States - 280 million people, from Alaska to Puerto Rico.

But the devil is in the details, and the devil is getting the better of him. His vision and strategic goals are great. His tactical execution and willingness to let tools like the PATRIOT ACT, TIPs, and US VISIT (what he described as "essentially a "virtual border" that will use biometrics to confirm the identity and status of all travelers, both to and from the United States") be used to victimize and harass the people they are meant to protect.

I went to hear Secretary Ridge speak at The Commonwealth Club of California yesterday. At the end of his prepared remarks [text], I liked his energy and his attitude towards pooling resources. The section that was clearly drafted by the white House as a "unified message in support of the Iraqi war effort" was graceless and out of place, but I understand why he/his staff shoved it in the middle of his monologue. It was certainly just dropped in there by the West Wing communication office and Sec. Ridge jerked in-and-out of it like a 15-yr-old driving a stick-shift.

The Q&A, however, is where he really disappointed:

When asked about dissent in America, he said "It must be tolerated" and "sometimes dissenters may, after a long while, actually sway some opinions." The Secretary is forgetting that he works for his critics every bit as much as he works for his supporters.

When asked who exactly was making sure that the 180,000 folks employed by the DHS understand and observe the civil rights of the people they need to investigate. He said, "well, there's always a struggle between freedom and security." He then went on to describe the two men in his agency that are charged with insuring that folks in his department not abuse their authority. TWO GUYS!?!

When asked why Saddam's sons being captured makes the US a safer place, he gave such a contrived, long-winded, meandering answer, that I still don't know what he said... but, apparently, we're safer.

In short: I like him. He scares the piss out of me. Good man - bad job.