Do you feel safe yet?
: The Washington Post skewers the Department of Homeland Security:
Six months after it was established to protect the nation from terrorism, the Department of Homeland Security is hobbled by money woes, disorganization, turf battles and unsteady support from the White House, and has made only halting progress toward its goals, according to administration officials and independent experts.
The top two officials under Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge are stepping down amid criticism from some White House officials and elsewhere in the administration. So few people want to work at the department that more than 15 people declined requests to apply for the top post in its intelligence unit — and many others turned down offers to run several other key offices, government officials said….
Efforts to organize the government’s 10 or so disparate lists of potential terrorism suspects, secure airline cargo against terrorist plots and advise local police and firefighters on training and equipment have all foundered, the officials said.
“Not a lot is getting done at the top of the department, and nobody’s making them focus on it,” said a White House official who handles homeland security issues and who asked not to be identified. “Nobody’s got the fortitude to say, ‘Sit down and shut up.’ . . . It’s sad.”
