Tom Ridge
Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridgeis an American politician who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. Prior to this, Ridge was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 and the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth26 August 1945
CityMunhall, PA
CountryUnited States of America
The bottom line is they were going after a national icon, and if you struck one or the other, the horror, the death and destruction, coupled with the notion of vulnerability to either the executive or legislative branch, would have accomplished their means of adding another level of anxiety or fear in this country.
The bottom line is that homeland security is not about one department, one level of government or one organization, ... It is a national call to action, a philosophy of shared responsibility, shared accountability, and shared leadership.
a very unfortunate characterization of the work that people are doing.
This is something we've waited for, planned for a year and it feels real good to be under way. Right now, people feel good about the warm hospitality Philadelphia has extended, and I'm pretty excited about the positive tone Gov. Bush has set.
This enforcement action represents an outstanding example of international cooperation in disrupting the proliferation of radiological material,
Some people have questioned, 'well, you put us on a general alert a couple of weeks ago and nothing happened,' ... This war on terrorism is going to continue for an indefinite period of time, and from time to time we may issue the same general alert again.
compared to previous threat reporting, these intelligence reports have provided a level of detail that is very specific.
I think we've accomplished a great deal in a short period of time, ... We have to be right a billion-plus times a year. ... The terrorists only have to be right once.
It is as reliable a source, group of sources that we've ever seen before.
I think there is a significant minority within the party that would either like it removed from the platform or at least a recognition that decent God-fearing people don't always have the same view on this,
I think for a long time we thought we were 'fortress America' and that we were impenetrable. Maybe in our heart of hearts we knew sooner or later that it was going to happen, ... But to take a look at the president and extraordinary vice president ... I couldn't think of a better team at a tougher time to be leading America, so I'm optimistic about it.
It all adds up to this: your country is ready, not waiting,
I think they moved as quickly as they could,
requesting some $36.2 billion clearly communicates this administration's commitment to investing in our Homeland Security.