Political Quotes

“In the war against terrorism, Americans stand as one behind our President. Now, in the all-out effort to protect our homeland, Federal agencies must be united in securing American soil. In that light, President Bush made exactly the right decision when he created the Office of Homeland Security--a national imperative in the wake of the horrific tragedies of September 11--and I commend him for appointing my former colleague, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, as its director. With a seat at the Cabinet table, Governor Ridge will literally be at the President's side, giving him the standing that will be required to remove jurisdictional hurdles among the forty-plus agencies he will be responsible for coordinating. I saw firsthand the consequences of serious inadequacies in coordination and communication during my twelve years as ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs International Operations Subcommittee and Chair of the subcommittee's Senate counterpart.”