Now Tom Ridge Recants On Threat Level Pressure. So Which Time Was He Lying?
By Susie Madrak Monday Aug 31, 2009 1:00pmI'm guessing that someone explained to him that it would be in his interests to change his tune. After all, he wants his new security business to keep making money, right?
WASHINGTON — Former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge, speaking for the first time about accusations made in his new book, says he did not mean to suggest that other top Bush administration officials were playing politics with the nation's security before the 2004 presidential election.
"I'm not second-guessing my colleagues," Ridge said in an interview about The Test of Our Times, which comes out Tuesday and recounts his experiences as head of the nation's homeland security efforts in the first several years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
In the book, Ridge portrays his fledgling department as playing second fiddle to other Cabinet-level heavyweights. As secretary, he says he was never invited to participate in National Security Council meetings, he was left out of the information loop by the FBI and his proposal to establish Homeland Security offices in major cities such as New Orleans were rejected.
His most explosive accusation: that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Attorney General John Ashcroft pressed him to raise the national threat level after Osama bin Laden released a videotape criticizing President Bush shortly before Election Day 2004. Ridge writes he rejected raising the level because bin Laden had released nearly 20 such tapes since 9/11 and the latest contained nothing suggesting an imminent threat.
Noting that Bush's approval ratings typically went up when the threat level was raised, Ridge writes that Ashcroft and Rumsfeld pushed to elevate it during a "vigorous" discussion.
"Ashcroft strongly urged an increase in the threat level, and was supported by Rumsfeld," he writes. "There was absolutely no support for that position within our department. None. I wondered, 'Is this about security or politics?' "
Although he prevailed and the threat level was not elevated, Ridge writes that the episode reinforced his decision to resign. He did so weeks after the election.
Last week, when word got out about Ridge's accusations, Rumsfeld's spokesman Keith Urbahn issued a statement calling them "nonsense."
Now, Ridge says he did not mean to suggest he was pressured to raise the threat level, and he is not accusing anyone of trying to boost Bush in the polls. "I was never pressured," Ridge said.
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that he would claim to have "misspoken" within 48 hours. He took a little longer. In the end, I don't think it matters one way or the other. Thsese crooks and liars are not going to be punished for their crookery and lying.
but shouldn't it be cookery and liaring?
None of the news conferences Would be taking place if Obama or the democrats had the balls or backbone to prosecute Bush and Cheney..
The longer it goes with Obama and the democrats sitting on the a.. doing nothing but giving speeches on being Bi-partisan while the republicans rip them to death and laughing their a.. off..
Where is the outrage with Reid , Pelosi with her take impeachment off the table.. Pelosi can prosecute Bush and Cheney if she had the backbone or was not involved.
"There's a Mr. Limbaugh on the phone for you--he says it's urgent."
rest assured...a biggie in the Bush cabal called. That's how crime families work.
Perhaps Cheney invited Ridge to go bird hunting with him.
Now THAT's some scary sh!t.
he's a puddin head.
Being a republican it means he has no moral compass, just greed.
Every time he speaks he lies.
You can never trust republicans to do anything but what they think is good for themselves. However they are stupid and crazy so they don't really know what is good for themselves. So you have a catch 22.
Crazy and to stupid to know it. A very dangerous situation.
republicanism is a mental illness!
I'm sure a dead ACLU lawyer turning up had something to do with this reversal.
Which time was he lying?
Both.
So exactly what did Rush say to Ridge before he corrected his already corrected before he corrected it statement? Has he issured his formal apology yet to Rush.
"You can leave but you can never go back."
I wonder what dirt they have on ole Tommy Boy? I take it back, I'd rather not know.
Dick Cheney and his goons must have paid him a little visit.
to send Liz Cheney over to spend an hour or so lecturing him. That would scare the crap out of me!
I'd be fleeing in terror!
They would send in Michelle Bachmann. Who needs waterboarding when you've got this looney tune, anyway?
The liberal blogs have to stop helping these dickheads sell books.
Every post about these wussy men should be followed with a
DO NOT BUY!.
I don't think any of us here have books written by dickheads. No one needs to tell us what and what not to buy. We know how royalties work.
You can always be certain he is lying when his lips are moving - just like the rest of his ilk.
These pathetic SOB's wouldn't know the truth if it hit them up side their head.
Maybe Ridge's personal threat level code was raised to red by someone.
Because I'm sure some high GOP muckymuck pointed out to him that he'd just admitted to knowledge of a Federal crime. In a country that actually believed in the rule of law, that'd qualify for charges of conspiracy, lying to Congress, and lots more.
and dare Obama to do anything...
That's the "Cheney" strategy.
Say "Yeah, we tortured those raghaid fuckers. Whachew gonna dew boddit, boy?"
Safe as houses...
When his lips weren't moving...
It's definetly symptomatic....It's inherent in every Repbuclipan. You see it develop in college, from symptoms you question in high school. They all have ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER! I say....dope 'em up...evey one of them.....
He/she is talking.
I'm sure Tom just mis-remembered. Yeah right.
But how is he going to undo what he said in his book? It's kind of hard once you have written and had published a book to say you didn't mean what you said in that book.
that this scumbag would do the right thing? They have too much shit on this guy now.
then he's always lying!!
George W. Bush and Dick Cheney (not to mention other prominent Republicans in Congress and elsewhere) advised the American public that America will be attacked again if the Dems take control of Congress, or if we elect a Democratic president.
It was a blatant use...no...threat of terror in order to gain political advantage. Nothing more!
Thus with all due respect, you are a damned liar by your flip-flop suggestion that the Bush administration did not politicize the Terror Threat Level system.
Just another book of Reslug lies at the bottom of the best seller list of Reslug lies going nowhere.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-TZ8Z5S9rI&fe...
Poifect, ysb!
We should understand that Ridge actually wrote that the timing of the attempted threat levels were interesting. He said himself he was not in on many of the discussions. He's trying to lure us into believing he was pressured when we should be aware that THAT is not the issue. The issue is that the NSA and the White House wanted to raise the threat levels to coincide with other events for political reasons.
That was sooooooooooo evident. Even to someone like me!
we don't want him found dead somewhere in a car!
Guess someone got to him and advised him to recant or else. It happens every time. Many of us figured out what was going on with the threat levels anyone. After all, KO put together a little mantage back at the time that connected the dots. What they did was illegal. They're already in trouble for torture. Guess they don't want this turning into a prosecutorial issue.
how strongly you worded an accusation....um....the dumb ass sounds just like a Democrat...anyone remember those who kept insisting Ridge is an 'up-standing and very reliable' person......
Haven't heard back from them either!
As for the comments above about being threatened with being with the shooter or Bachman...Bachman would scare me more too!!!! Now, THAT'd be torture!
he says waterboarding wasn't nice.
So was this directorship his consolation prize for retracting? With the greenlight to raise an eyebrow over waterboarding thrown in?
My former Governor is a consummate opportunist. When he speaks,self interest will be at the heart of it with honesty and conscience nowhere on the radar screen. I'm glad that for all intents and purposes , he's finished as a national figure. His retraction is just another example of his duplicity.Cheney and Rumsfeld led the way with their "end justifies the means" fabrications and exaggerations. Ridge and Powell to their discredit were willing accomplices.
Yet another Spineless, Gutless COWARD recants the story and we are all so surprised. This is about distraction this is about STALLING any and all Investigations until next JUNE when the time runs out, Stupid Americans.
You Have the Traitor cheney doing all he can to distract and dissuade the Judicial system, this Low Life piece of TRASH and Garbage will not stop until HIS RACIST NAZI CORPORATE PARTY is solidly in place. Look at the grovelling Low Life in his party, the Twisted demented lying back peddling alleged hero (scum bag more like it) mccain, then the delusional grassley, the swallower palin, oh yeah the list goes on, This is Murder by Government Sanction, and the Low Life Trailer TRASH (mostly WHITE embrace endorse it and welcome it), this is scum that is lower than a Murderer, spouse abuser, these are HATE MONGERS, and now I am surprised that the COWARD RIDGE would back pedal.
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