D.H.S. falling down on the J.O.B.

December 28, 2005

The Washington Post ran a severely unflattering multi–part series last week on the Department of Homeland Security, explaining in alarming detail how the agency has been beset by almost every bureaucratic problem imaginable. You name it — turf wars, incompetent management, political cronyism, budget shortfalls — the DHS has had it. About the only project the agency has successfully taken on has been the creation of a logo, and even that took a couple of tries.

With this in mind, House Democrats released a report yesterday (why this couldn’t wait until after the holidays is unclear) highlighting the fact that the Department of Homeland Security has fallen short of fulfilling 33 of the agency’s own goals. It’s not a pretty picture.

DHS pledged to create a list of chemical plants, bridges, skyscrapers and other potential terrorist targets — at this point the department is over a year late in delivering. The agency also said it would install monitors to screen for radiation material entering the country at borders, seaports, and airports; create an efficient network to share alerts with state, local and private industry officials; and install surveillance cameras at all high-risk chemical plants. None of this has happened.

And while the lack of progress is disconcerting enough, the reaction from DHS was hardly reassuring.

Responding, Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said the department is prioritizing resources and programs based on “today’s greatest threats.”

“Rather than looking backward at yesterday’s threats, we are building upon what we have already accomplished to meet evolving threats,” said Knocke.

I can appreciate the fact that these circumstances are tough to spin, but when an agency is found to have fallen short, repeatedly, of its own goals — and those goals are crucial to keeping Americans safe — it’s not exactly comforting to hear that DHS will build on what they’ve “already accomplished.”

One accomplishment you overlooked is the attempt to break the meager union rights the DHS employees. A major and overlooked aspect of the administrations war on the middle class and unions is the attempt to bust the unions representing government employees, such as NTEU. The administrations accomplishment? Demoralize the career civil service workers that are the heart of the government. They make agencies effective from year to year, no matter which party is in power. Supposedly a stregnth of the civil service system.

  • About the only project the agency has successfully taken on has been the creation of a logo, and even that took a couple of tries.

    Hey! creating a logo is “hard work”

  • “Rather than looking backward at yesterday’s threats, we are building upon what we have already accomplished to meet evolving threats,”

    Yes, evolving threats. Like the threat of evolution. We’ve got that one in our sites.

    And whereas, in the past, nuclear facilities, chemical depots and transportation infrastructure were all targets of yesterday’s threats – we see that we must protect targets from the threats of tomorrow. So we will be increasing security around our future spaceports, lithium crystal plants, and our teleportation infrastructure. And of course, we will have a no fly-zone around Disney’s 200th Anniversary Mousetacular Holodeck complex in Florida.

  • This reminds me of the Monty Python bit where the King keeps building castles in the swamp. Hopefully we’re at the “the second one burnt and then sunk in the swamp” stage so we’d be close to building the one that stands but I doubt it.

  • (why this couldn’t wait until after the holidays is unclear)

    This, unfortunately, is the key line in Steve’s post. The ONLY thing the repubs have going for them right now – the ONLY reason they won narrowly last year (OK, along with homophobia) – is their supposed strength in “war on terror”. Documented proof that they’ve fucked the war up big-time would be a devastating way to keep them off-balance at the start of the new year – pressing the advantage gained by Plame, torture, NSA, etc. This is called political strategy. But instead the Dems meekly push this out while all of the press and half of the country are asleep.

    Kerry tried to raise some of these issues during the campaign, but his points about chemical plants & ports fell on deaf ears. The groundwork hadn’t been laid by other politicians or experts, and the media couldn’t fit it into the narrative (weak elitist internationalist vs rough-hewn terror-fighter) they had decided to impose on the campaign, and the Democrats as usual accepted the media’s narrative. Now that the press and the people might be more receptive, the Democrats bury the story. Sigh.

    (also posted at Political Animal)

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