Tom Ridge
Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridgeis an American politician who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. Prior to this, Ridge was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 and the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth26 August 1945
CityMunhall, PA
CountryUnited States of America
This enforcement action represents an outstanding example of international cooperation in disrupting the proliferation of radiological material,
The president has given me an extraordinary opportunity to serve my country in this incredible period since September 11th, 2001.
The quality of this intelligence, based on multiple reporting streams in multiple locations, is rarely seen and is alarming in both the amount and specificity of the information,
We realize that's a vulnerability that could be exploited with potentially catastrophic consequences,
In spite of everything we have done, we are only at the beginning of what will be a long struggle to protect this country from terrorism,
I just met a fireman who was trying to save somebody else's house when his went up in flames, ... In the operations center, there are a couple of people on duty today -- 12-hour shifts. They lost their homes, but they know they still have a job to do, and maybe their presence will help save somebody else's homes.
Clearly, we could provide enough security to put the mass transit systems out of business, ... Trying to find that balance is something we need to do.
Clearly, Canada is not going to send troops to Iraq. That's just a fact and you've made that decision ... so that's off the table. But maybe we re-engage on softwood, re-engage on missile defense. It's an opportunity.
I'm not sure we're ever going to be able to say that because we raised it from Yellow to Orange or because we modified, changed or enhanced security at this facility, at this bridge, at this tunnel, that it deterred a terrorist from acting,
I'm not trying to condone the sloppiness or inaccuracy of the work that was done, ... We saw that ourselves.
I'm honored to join the extraordinary team you've assembled to lead America. The size and scope of this challenge are immense ... an extraordinary mission. But we will carry it out.
I hope that in a post-9/11, post-Katrina world, there wouldn't be a mayor in the nation who wouldn't go back to the drawing board and say, 'What have I done in terms of communication systems?'
In the meantime, as on the other occasions when the national threat level has been increased, we encourage members of the public to continue their daily work, family and leisure activities with a heightened awareness,
If you make it a referendum on a president with a 67 percent approval rating, you shouldn't be surprised if the election goes against you.