"A civil war within the U.S. government"

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February 2, 2005

That's what one former Department of Homeland Security employee said regarding DHS and its relationship with other agencies in this Washington Post article.  Doesn't make you feel secure, does it?

As its leadership changes for the first time, the Department of Homeland Security remains hampered by personality conflicts, bureaucratic bottlenecks and an atmosphere of demoralization, undermining its ability to protect the nation against terrorist attack, according to current and former administration officials and independent experts.

Here's an example of what hasn't been protected:

"I'm sorry to say, since 9/11 we have essentially done nothing" to secure chemical plants and trains carrying chemicals, [Richard] Falkenrath [Bush's deputy homeland security adviser until last May and now a Brookings Institution fellow] told Congress last week. "This [issue] stands out as an enormous vulnerability we had the authority to address."

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