Dept of Hopeless Obscurity

Can anyone tell me what the hell Chertoff has accomplished at DHS? Since he replaced the ridiculous Tom Ridge of duct tape and color code notoriety, Chertoff has overseen the FEMA disaster in New Orleans and the ongoing comedy of errors that has played out in the subways of New York.

You will recall that New York's quasi-Republican Mayor Bloomberg, standing alongside his Police Commisioner and an FBI representative, issued a public notice of increased vigilance and security measures in response to a clear threat identified in intelligence from Iraq.

Almost immediately, DHS officials in Washington DC poured cold water on the Mayor, asserting that the intelligence was really not credible and suggesting that Bloomberg had overreacted by informing the public.

Now we hear that DHS is investigating whether insiders with access to this intelligence deemed it compelling enough that they broke Department rules in order to send out e-mails warning friends and family about the threat -- days before Bloomberg made the announcement that has since been trashed by DHS.

This unscrupulous and panicky behavior by Chertoff's team suggests a lack of confidence in the preparedness and security efforts of the DHS among its own leadership. And in light of Chertoff's earlier remarks in defense of the paltry allocation of funds for mass transit security, it is easy to understand their anxiety -- it is caused by their incompetence, negligence, misallocation of funds, and woeful lack of preparation.

Small comfort for the rest of us in knowing that Chertoff's team are as worried as we are; it would be better if they did something about it.

If Chertoff had an elephant or two, he could put up a tent and have one hell of a circus. Unfortunately, when we need the DHS, all they do is send in the clowns. God help us.

Check this out -- from the Associated Press:

When FBI and police officials went public with the threat Oct. 6, Homeland Security downplayed it, saying it was "of doubtful credibility." After four days of high alert, local officials announced Monday there was no clear evidence an attack would be carried out and scaled back the protection.

"It's ironic that on the one hand the department is saying this is not a credible threat and then, if these e-mails are true, people within the department with access to classified information felt it was worth contacting their own families," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

The e-mails began circulating Oct. 3 - three days before [Police Commissioner Ray] Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced they were putting thousands of extra police officers on patrol in the subways in response to the possible plot to bomb the subway using briefcases or baby strollers packed with explosives.

The Daily News quoted one e-mail - purportedly penned by the unnamed son of a high-ranking Homeland Security official - in which he warns recipients: "The only information I can pass on to you is that everyone should at all costs not ride the subway for the next two weeks in major areas of NYC."

-- The crony ethic of the Bush administration is pervasive, isn't it? Even at DHS!!! Why am I not surprised to find that the Bushies at DHS resort to sneaky warnings to their friends even as they chide the Mayor for sharing the warning with the public. -- Neil

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