Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, the first director of the Department of Homeland Security, says that he was pressured by other agency heads to raise the terrorism threat level on the eve of the 2004 presidential election -- a move he rejected as having political undertones.

The disclosure comes in promotional materials for Ridge's new book, due out Sept. 1, in which he writes that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Attorney General John D. Ashcroft tried to pressure him to raise the threat level.

"After that episode, I knew I had to follow through with my plans to leave the federal government for the private sector," Ridge writes in the book, "The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege . . . and How We Can Be Safe Again," according to publisher Thomas Dunne Books.

He submitted his resignation within the month.

Another official in George W. Bush's administration, White House homeland security adviser Frances Fragos Townsend, told the Associated Press on Thursday that Ridge "was certainly not pressured," while a spokesman for Rumsfeld rejected Ridge's assertion.

"The story line advanced by his publisher seemingly to sell copies of the book is nonsense," Keith Urbahn said in a statement. "During the fall of 2004, Osama bin Laden and an American member of al-Qaeda released videotapes that said in no uncertain terms that al-Qaeda intended to launch more attacks against Americans. . . . Given those facts, it would seem reasonable for senior administration officials to discuss the threat level."

Ridge's publicist, Joe Rinaldi, said Thursday that the former secretary was not doing interviews.

Ridge will also say in the book that his relationship with Rumsfeld had been distant, with the Pentagon chief rarely making himself available for meetings with his domestic security counterpart.

And Ridge will also reveal that he was never invited to a White House National Security Council meeting -- Condoleezza Rice was NSC director during Bush's first term -- that he was routinely "blindsided" by an information-withholding FBI during Oval Office briefings, and that his efforts to establish regional Homeland Security offices in New Orleans and six other major cities in the years before Hurricane Katrina were thwarted by bureaucracy.

Threat-level warnings became a subject of controversy in 2004 after one rise was declared just days after the Democratic National Convention that summer. The move was seen by some at the time as redirecting public attention toward an issue where Bush was stronger (terrorism) and away from questions about the war in Iraq being raised by Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), his reelection challenger.

Some of the intelligence behind the alert was ultimately revealed to be three to four years old, though newly obtained.


and i was called a bush hater

Time and time again I have expressed that everyone should be killed. It's not about hate though, it is over my love for animals.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They were all forced to lie, once they are out of office and attempt to regain credibility. Christie Whitman told New York City the air was safe after 9/11. Colin Powell told the UN that there were WMDs in Iraq. I blame Cheney, because W was too stupid to know what the truth was.

Funny though, as I read your post again, he resigned to go work in the Private Sector. I wonder if the job he took was the pay off for BSing the country?

Jesus H Christ, who ever gave a fuck whether the threat level was purple or red or whatever the fuck? Are you fucking serious in thinking that would have changed the election's outcome? Odumba was far more dishonest and underhanded in his campaign. Consider the mountains of mysterious untraceable cash, his illegal coordination with vote fraud organization ACORN (covered up by the NY Times), his outright misrepresentaion of his intentions and beliefs (he ran as a moderate tax cutter - lol) ETC ETC ETC.

Remember the massive gyrations in the stock market in the few months before the election (drops or gains of 1000+ DJ points per day) which boosted Odummy? Well some entity was buying/dumping in massive volumes right before the close of trading each day in a predictable pattern never observed before. Just going back and forth, from one extreme to the other. Mideast Muslims keen on B.Hussein? Lefty Jews like Soros? Someday we'll know more.

Bye, gotta run. Socialist America haters are trying to destroy everything good about this country.

Coke, why do you have that commie faggot Richards as your avatar?

coke yr wrong

obama kicked mccain's ass...he didn't NEED any hijinx

GWB won by a hair (his first win actually after being APPOINTED in 2000) in 2004 and ran on fear. It is just another example of how his administration used all the govt for political means.

cunts

wow...who would have thought........unscrupulous politicians?!?!

If Bush II just would have let Gore won maybe we wondnt be in this mess to begin with.....

That's ^ hilarious !!!!!

I don't know if it's just hype. How many Siege albums are out? How many AC albums?


Siege has only officially released 9 songs while AC has at least that many full lengths and EPs out.

Dont feel bad or apologize, Im an equal opportunity hater, I fucking hate everyone, no matter their stance on politics, religions, I think the human species are all evil and suck. We need genocide in certain areas. Im all for it. Not being racist, we need it in WHITE areas too, especially white areas, lke the trailer people, the meth addicted people, the Jigaloo (those retards that live thier life for Insane Clown Posse) people, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I am cool with Siege, but their lack of recordings makes them a really easy band to explore, enjoy and get bored with.

I read something about them reforming but I don't think they made any recordings, it was with Seth from AC on vocals.

Anyway, no hate for Siege, just trying to say that I think AC is more popular because it is actually possible to get AC records. And they are arguably a better value as they tend to have more than 9 songs on them. Plus they keep releasing stuff.

And while quantity is not the same as quality on a 51 song AC album I can easily find more than 9 tracks I enjoy.

I see what you mean now. Anyway, this is more interesting than another political thread.

Quote:

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We need genocide in certain areas. Im all for it.

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genocide begins at home... after you.

TUP: AC = Anal Cunt.

They are another grindcore band from the Boston area whose sound and singer is somehow related to Siege.

I am already pretty sure that this kind of music doesn't interest you.

AC/DC are great and they have put out the exact same album over and over and I still like it.

Bug, Claude and I have been having a conversation that isn't really on topic.

Rob Williams also drums in Full Blown AIDS.