Blame Bush: 9/11 panel to hit loose ID controls
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Blame George W. Bush, it must all be his fault. Whatever the matter, whatever the concern, somehow it must be his fault. Just like the following issue. It has to be blamed on Bush, so may as well start that blame game now.
From The Washington Times, headline is linked.
9/11 panel to hit loose ID controls
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The United States has not yet tightened the asylum system and eliminated the ability of terrorists to obtain key documents such as driver's licenses, the September 11 commission's expert on terrorist travel is expected to tell Congress today.
"Weaknesses in the U.S. border still exist," Janice L. Kephart, counsel to the commission, will tell two Senate subcommittees today, according to prepared testimony obtained by The Washington Times.
"Terrorists will continue to successfully enter the United States, because we still lack adequate technologies; integrated information systems that house biometric travel histories of visitors and immigrants; and specialized training in terrorist travel tactics."
Although she doesn't endorse a specific bill, her strong endorsement of further action on driver's licenses and asylum comes as House Republicans are putting pressure on the Senate to pass the Real ID Act, which includes provisions both to restrict asylum claims and to set national standards for identification that would be used for federal purposes such as boarding an aircraft.
Ms. Kephart says that terrorists know how important it is to obtain government-issued identification such as driver's licenses. This was a clear part of the September 11 hijackers' strategy.
"If our issuing regime had been tighter in other ways, such as demanding more secure documentation before the identification could be issued, or limiting the issuance of a driver's license to more permanent U.S. residents, more of the 9/11 terrorists would have had difficulty obtaining a driver's license or other state identification," she says. "This, in turn, would have made it more difficult for them to travel, plan, meet, case, finance and carry out the attacks."
They might have had to show screeners their Saudi or Lebanese passports, for example, which could have triggered greater scrutiny under which their box cutters and pepper spray could have been detected.
Ms. Kephart will testify before the immigration and terrorism subcommittees of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which are holding a joint hearing presided over by subcommittee Chairmen John Cornyn of Texas and Jon Kyl of Arizona.
Immigration and border security continue to be contentious issues, particularly since the Senate and President Bush forced House Republicans to drop immigration and border security provisions from the intelligence overhaul bill that passed last year. Senators argued that the bill was to implement the September 11 commission's recommendations for the intelligence community, not the immigration and border security measures.
Oooops, that bold section is a huge smoking gun. I'm sure that some Bush-bashers will jump all over that and claim yet again that this reason to IMPEACH BUSH and drive him from office. Of course, they'll miss the "since the Senate and..." part, much like many miss some important little punctuation and wording in the constitution and bill of rights that apply to freedom of religion and not freedom FROM religion.
Still, maybe, just maybe, if I get this bad news out of the way first, some of these bashers will be disarmed. Isn't that ironic? Disarming the folks that used to love to talk about and demand disarmament. Of course they were talking about Nuclear weapons and military might. Not anything that might ever turn back around and bite them in the butt later when our troops might not be ready, when our defenses might be weak and ill prepared.
From The Washington Times, headline is linked.
9/11 panel to hit loose ID controls
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The United States has not yet tightened the asylum system and eliminated the ability of terrorists to obtain key documents such as driver's licenses, the September 11 commission's expert on terrorist travel is expected to tell Congress today.
"Weaknesses in the U.S. border still exist," Janice L. Kephart, counsel to the commission, will tell two Senate subcommittees today, according to prepared testimony obtained by The Washington Times.
"Terrorists will continue to successfully enter the United States, because we still lack adequate technologies; integrated information systems that house biometric travel histories of visitors and immigrants; and specialized training in terrorist travel tactics."
Although she doesn't endorse a specific bill, her strong endorsement of further action on driver's licenses and asylum comes as House Republicans are putting pressure on the Senate to pass the Real ID Act, which includes provisions both to restrict asylum claims and to set national standards for identification that would be used for federal purposes such as boarding an aircraft.
Ms. Kephart says that terrorists know how important it is to obtain government-issued identification such as driver's licenses. This was a clear part of the September 11 hijackers' strategy.
"If our issuing regime had been tighter in other ways, such as demanding more secure documentation before the identification could be issued, or limiting the issuance of a driver's license to more permanent U.S. residents, more of the 9/11 terrorists would have had difficulty obtaining a driver's license or other state identification," she says. "This, in turn, would have made it more difficult for them to travel, plan, meet, case, finance and carry out the attacks."
They might have had to show screeners their Saudi or Lebanese passports, for example, which could have triggered greater scrutiny under which their box cutters and pepper spray could have been detected.
Ms. Kephart will testify before the immigration and terrorism subcommittees of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which are holding a joint hearing presided over by subcommittee Chairmen John Cornyn of Texas and Jon Kyl of Arizona.
Immigration and border security continue to be contentious issues, particularly since the Senate and President Bush forced House Republicans to drop immigration and border security provisions from the intelligence overhaul bill that passed last year. Senators argued that the bill was to implement the September 11 commission's recommendations for the intelligence community, not the immigration and border security measures.
Oooops, that bold section is a huge smoking gun. I'm sure that some Bush-bashers will jump all over that and claim yet again that this reason to IMPEACH BUSH and drive him from office. Of course, they'll miss the "since the Senate and..." part, much like many miss some important little punctuation and wording in the constitution and bill of rights that apply to freedom of religion and not freedom FROM religion.
Still, maybe, just maybe, if I get this bad news out of the way first, some of these bashers will be disarmed. Isn't that ironic? Disarming the folks that used to love to talk about and demand disarmament. Of course they were talking about Nuclear weapons and military might. Not anything that might ever turn back around and bite them in the butt later when our troops might not be ready, when our defenses might be weak and ill prepared.