For years, comedians have joked about it in late night monologues and stand-up routines. Now, if reports are true, it’s no longer a laughing matter. According to former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, he now admits he was pressured to raise the infamous terror alert to elevate fears among Americans and help George W. Bush win re-election in 2004.
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In his new book The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege…and How We Can Be Safe Again, Ridge says he was never invited to sit in on National Security Council meetings; was “blindsided” by the FBI in morning Oval Office meetings because the agency withheld critical information from him; found his urgings to block Michael Brown from being named head of FEMA blamed for the Hurricane Katrina disaster ignored; and was pushed to raise the security alert on the eve of President Bush’s re-election, something he saw as politically motivated and worth resigning over. In an excerpt from the book, Ridge claims: `
“A vigorous, some might say dramatic, discussion ensued. Ashcroft strongly urged an increase in the threat level, and was supported by Rumsfeld. There was absolutely no support for that position within our department. None! I wondered, ‘Is this about security or politics?’ Post-election analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the President’s approval ratings in the days after the raising of the threat level.”
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If these charges are FALSE, it only goes to show how far a former cabinet member will go just to sell a few books. But if these reports are TRUE, we may have very well witnessed a legitimate act of treason!
