Lee H. Hamilton
Lee H. Hamilton
Lee Herbert Hamiltonis a former member of the United States House of Representatives and currently a member of the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council. A member of the Democratic Party, Hamilton represented the 9th congressional district of Indiana from 1965 to 1999. Following his departure from Congress he has served on a number of governmental advisory boards, most notably as the vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth20 April 1931
CountryUnited States of America
Is it countries that harbor or develop weapons of mass destruction? Is it only countries that harbor terrorists? What really are the targets that we're aiming at in this war on terrorism?
Reforms are at risk from inertia and complacency. Reforms must be accelerated or they will fail.
I am impressed by the number of intelligence warnings, the spiking of the threats that occurred during, particularly the summer of the year 2001.
What struck me after Katrina was we were not as safe as I thought we were,
We are a mobile, dynamic society. We depend upon open, accessible transportation systems. Terrorists know that. It's the reason they target transportation, and it's why we must stop them.
You'll remember Dr. Rice said that several times: It was not a warning about the place and the method and the time - it was a general warning. And that points out the imperfection, if you would, of our intelligence.
But despite this breathtaking pace, I believe in the capacity of our democracy to meet these challenges.
Now the difficulty with those warnings is that they were not specific.
U.S. officials and outside experts agree that China is undertaking a comprehensive modernization of its military. The Chinese military has gotten smaller but smarter.
What's lacking here is a sense of urgency, a political will to get these things done.
There are so many competing priorities. And it's awfully hard to keep people focused on something like this.
I can assure you, public service is a stimulating, proud and lively enterprise. It is not just a way of life, it is a way to live fully.
This nation is never finished. It has to be re-created in each generation.
Democracy fascinates me.