Don’t Blame DHS
From color-coded terror alerts to FEMA and now, in a Washington Post series, dubiously detained immigrants, there are few bigger Bush administration targets than the Dept. of Homeland Security. But in many instances DHS is working with both the hand that Congress and the president dealt them.
Take the Real ID Act that I wrote about, which sets federal standards for what goes on state’s drivers licenses. Publicly, DHS plays up the program as necessary in the fight against terrorism and identity theft. DHS Spokesman Russ Knocke told me that the ID cards are necessary because nobody wants to say they wanted looser identification laws "before the next 9/11 commission." DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff has vowed the program will "kill three birds with one stone" by fighting terrorism, stopping identity theft, and– with data-sharing between states– cracking down on drunk driving.
For their enforcement of the Real ID law, DHS is blasted by state legislatures, civil liberty groups, the travel industry and, well, pretty much everyone beside George Bush. In fact, for granting extensions to the Real ID program, they’re even criticized by hardline conservatives like Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wi.), who crafted Real ID in the first place.
But what choice does DHS have in the matter? As a federal agency, the department implements policy that others create. Certainly on issues of competence and judgment like how flood victims or undocumented immigrants are treated, department officials and staff deserve blame. But it was the president and Congress in 2002 (the Senate 90-9 ), not DHS employees or even Michael Chertoff, that decided one department would prevent the next terrorist attack, respond to all natural and man-made disasters, and enforce immigration policy. It’s not easy to kill three birds with one stone.
Related
$1.3 trillion in federal spending unaccounted for, report finds
Despite calls for independent bodies to keep government accountable, the Sunlight Foundation’s most recent Clearspending report has found the federal
$1.89 billion given to states to fight HIV
The federal government Monday announced more than $1.89 billion in funding to states to fight the HIV epidemic with access to care and with more cash for the failing AIDS Drug Assistance Program. According to an HHS press release , $813 million of that money will go directly to the ADAP programming. An additional $8,386,340 will be issued as a supplement to 36 states and territories currently facing a litany of unmet needs and access issues.
1 Brigade and 1 Battalion
ISTANBUL – It’s 10 p.m. in the lowest level of the Istanbul airport. In 20 minutes I’ll be allowed to board my plane to Kabul, bringing me to the
1. Brian Schweitzer
As governor of Montana, Schweitzer doesn’t represent one of the most highly populated, high-profile electoral states in the country. But this
#1 in Conspiracy Theories
Andrew Young’s tell-all biography of John Edwards, hitting shelves next week, is surging in one Amazon.com category in particular. #1 in Conspiracy
$1 Million for Toomey
Pat Toomey, the former Club for Growth president and leading Republican candidate in Pennsylvania’s 2010 Senate race, has announced a $1 million haul in the
$1 Trillion for Fannie and Freddie?
That is the worst-case scenario, according to Egan-Jones Ratings Co., quoted in a Bloomberg article making the rounds. The agency says that if home prices
$1.3 Million for Brown
The GOP’s candidate in the Massachusetts special election raised more than one million dollars -- double the goal -- in a 24-hour moneybomb on the Ron Paul
Ten Loopholes That Can’t Make It Into FinReg
Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director, wrote a blog post that lists the loopholes lobbyists most want inserted into Sen. Chris Dodd’s (D-Conn.)
Bachmann uncomfortable over earmarks ban
Republicans appear to have boxed themselves into a corner with their portrayal of earmarks as wasteful spending, as many of them have backed a moratorium on
Troubled mine holds hope for U.S. rare earth industry
China currently controls 97 percent of the world’s rare earth production. The Mountain Pass Mine could change that -- if it can overcome serious environmental concerns.