- Over the past week there has been a lot of controversy
about whether President Bush is using the timing of terror alerts to bolster
his re-election campaign. Terrorism is a very serious issue and I do not
believe that the terror alerts are based solely on politics. However, I
do have some concerns that the timing of this announcement seems to be
based on an election strategy.
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- Let's look at the facts:
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- * Bush strategist Karl Rove told members of the Republican
National Committee during a January 2002 speech that Republicans "can
go to the country" on national security issues and invited his party
to politicize the war in an election year. And according to The Associated
Press, a White House strategy for the 2002 elections - formulated by top
presidential advisors - advised Republican candidates to campaign with
messages highlighting the war on terrorism.
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- * The Al Qaeda operative whose capture led to the release
of information was captured on July 13, twenty days before President Bush's
press conference. The bulk of the information received was over three years
old, some was eight months old. Even if the computer discs were found a
few days after the capture of the terrorist, that means that the administration
either chose the timing of the release, presumably for political reasons,
or they lacked the resources to process the information in a timely manner.
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- * The day after Ridge was accused of considering politics
for the timing of the announcement, he suddenly claimed that it took them
a long time to process and translate the information.
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- * The administration has denied that the Department of
Homeland Security gets involved in politics. In fact, last year the Department
of Homeland Security was reportedly used for political purposes when it
attempted to track down the whereabouts of Texas lawmakers who left the
state to foil a Republican attempt to gerrymander Texas congressional districts.
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- * And, the Department of Homeland Security played the
political card again at the press conference on August 1. Ridge spent time
informing Americans that the President was a great leader in the fight
against terror. Ridge said, "We must understand that the kind of information
available to us today is the result of the President's leadership in the
war against terror."
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- * This is not the first or second time this administration
has misled the public. For example, Weapons of Mass Destruction still have
not been found in Iraq - even though President Bush convinced the American
public and Congress that this was one of the primary reasons to support
sending approximately 135,000 troops to Iraq.
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- * I am not the only person to believe that the timing
of this announcement was somewhat based on politics. News organizations
like the Associated Press, The Washington Post and The New York Times interviewed
national security experts and political strategists, including a "top
GOP operative" and "some senior Republicans" who have also
questioned the timing of this announcement.
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- Terror is one of the most serious short term problems
America faces and along with the soaring deficits and the continuing degradation
of our environment, it is one of our most serious long term problems. All
of us want the President to succeed in fighting this incredible threat.
I am one American who would like to see more substance and less politics
in this fight, so I can look forward to a future filled with hope, not
fear.
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- Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, is the founder
of Democracy for America, a grassroots organization that supports socially
progressive and fiscally responsible political candidates. Email Howard
Dean at howarddean@democracyforamerica.com
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