Terror Alerts Based On Flimsy Evidence - Ridge

It looks like former Homeland Security Czar Tom Ridge is confirming what most of us in the reality based community already knew. There was little real evidence to support raising the terror alert level. USA Today.com is reporting that The Bush administration periodically put the USA on high alert for terrorist attacks even though then-Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge argued there was only flimsy evidence to justify raising the threat level, Ridge now says. Ridge, who resigned Feb. 1, said Tuesday that he often disagreed with administration officials who wanted to elevate the threat level to orange, or "high" risk of terrorist attack, but was overruled. It is too bad it took so many years for Ridge to "get religion" and finally come clean with the American people. How often while he was the man in charge of the Homeland Security department did Bush and company use this scare tactic on the public for political reasons? You mean to tell me Ridge didn't happen to notice that the raising of the terror alert level often occurred when the polls showed Bush's approval rating was falling? It never ceases to amaze me that it is always after they are out of office and away from being under the thumb of the administration (read Karl Rove), before they decide to be honest with the public. Didn't the same thing happen with former EPA head Christie Todd Whitman? Is Colin Powell next on the list of former administration officials to come forward? One can only hope this will be the case. It is a shame however, that now that Bush is safely tucked away in his second term these things finally come to light. Maybe if they had chosen to put their principles ahead of political office back then when the public needed to know, they could have stopped the damage that has been and is being done to the United States.