Ridge's Book Raises Pressure To Reform Color-Coded 'Threat Alerts' -- Christian Science Monitor
Homeland security task force is reexamining the post-9/11 system. What does 'yellow' mean, anyway?
Washington - The suggestion that politics influenced the Department of Homeland Security's color-coded terror alert system doesn't necessarily mean that a task force will conclude next month that it should be scrapped altogether.
A new book by former Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge says he felt political pressure by the Bush administration prior to the election in 2004 to raise the threat level from "yellow" to "orange," raising suspicions that the terror alert system created after 9/11 was more political than functional.
Read more ....
My Comment: I was around at the time, and I did recall questioning why the threat level was not being raised as the 2004 election was approaching. The civil war in Iraq was escalating, and Al Qaeda was broadcasting ominous threats.
These Al Qaeda threats had to be treated seriously .... the Madrid train bombings had occurred on March 11, 2004, and these bombings had a tremendous impact on the Spanish election 3 days later. It was logical among many in the intelligence community that Al Qaeda would try the same thing in the U.S. election. A logical premise .... except that Homeland Security head Tom ridge disagreed.
So why is Tom Ridge harping on this 5 years later .... I can only assume it is a marketing ploy to sell books. My prediction .... it is not going to sell well.
Should Homeland Security's Advisory System be scrapped? .... probably not.