George W. Bush in The Test of our Times
On Government Reform:
Declined Congressional subpoena for White House advisers
[The Office of Homeland Security, OHS, a White House office, was the predecessor to the Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security DHS. As OHS received $20B, Congress requested details, and] the president prohibited my testimony, holding
to the tenet that Oval Office advisors are not subject to congressional subpoena power under the theory of executive privilege and that if I were to go to the Hill it would set a bad precedent.
Source: The Test of our Times, by Tom Ridge, p. 92
Sep 1, 2009
On Homeland Security:
2001: We will not tire,we will not falter & we will not fail
In Bush's speech to the joint session of Congress in September 2001, (which has become known as the "We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail" speech) the president laid out his plan to defeat Al
Qaeda and its allies, and then went on to introduce the idea of a new position and the person who would fill it. "Our nation has been put on notice: We are not immune from attack. We will take defensive measures against terrorism to protect
Americans. Today, dozens of federal departments and agencies, as well as state and local governments, have responsibilities affecting homeland security.
These efforts must be coordinated at the highest level. So tonight I announce the creation of a cabinet-level position reporting directly to me--the Office of Homeland Security."
Source: The Test of our Times, by Tom Ridge, p. 25
Sep 1, 2009
On Homeland Security:
Created DHS; reorganization since 1947 creation of DoD
On June 7, 2002, Pres. Bush announced the creation of a new cabinet position, the most dramatic reorganization of the federal government since 1947, when the National Defense Act took the Air Force out from under army supervision, combined the War and
Navy Departments into the Department of Defense, and created the CIA. The president said, "I do not believe that anyone could have prevented the horror of September 11, yet we know that thousands of trained killers are plotting to attack us, and this
terrible knowledge requires us to act differently."The new Department of Homeland Security would be composed of nearly 180,000 federal employees, drawn from parts or all of 22 units of government, including the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, element
of the INS, security guards at airports, and Customs. The department would have an initial budget of $37.5 billion. Even so, it was less than the budget of the Department of Education and less than 1/10 of what the Department of Defense spends in a year.
Source: The Test of our Times, by Tom Ridge, p.130-131
Sep 1, 2009
On Homeland Security:
Terrorists aren't POWs, so not entitled to Geneva Convention
Guantanamo [prisoners] were not POWs in the traditional sense. Those apprehended were not soldiers of a sovereign nation. Our approach to the treatment of those labeled "unlawful enemy combatants," as opposed to the traditional "prisoners of war," began
to concern me when it became clear no plan existed other than indefinite if not permanent imprisonment. The administration argued that because these people are not state-sponsored, they are not entitled to the usual protections of the Geneva
Convention, and have no rights to our time-honored (and constitutionally guaranteed) principle of habeas corpus. The White House had been staunchly opposed to giving detainees access to civilian courts, later arguing that military tribunals sufficed.
Constitutional lawyers argued--and the Supreme Court agreed--that such a position was impermissible and that habeas corpus extends to those captured in a time of war even if they don't fit into traditional categories.
Source: The Test of our Times, by Tom Ridge, p.144-145
Sep 1, 2009
On Technology:
Oath of office authorizes use of surveillance technology
The 1978 FISA legislation was static, but the new surveillance technology was dynamic. The president argued that the oath of office in which he swore to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution" was an acceptance of the responsibility to provide
for the common defense. That was the only authority needed to deploy technology allowing for more sophisticated intrusions, making use of satellites and supercomputers that might lead investigators to a target. In time, it became clear that the
President had authorized the NSA to exercise its authority without applying for the requisite warrants. The administration had argued that the FISA law could reasonably be interpreted to allow for these expanded powers because the nature of the threat ha
changed, and there was a need to respond much more quickly than ordinary court procedures allowed. In carrying out its own legal interpretation and keeping it a secret, the long-term effect presented an appearance of employing unauthorized power.
Source: The Test of our Times, by Tom Ridge, p.110-111
Sep 1, 2009
Page last updated: Feb 25, 2019