Drifting in the Homeland

The federal government’s response to the anthrax attack has been a debacle. From Health and Human Services head Tommy G. Thompson’s statement that the first anthrax case might have resulted from a Florida photo editor drinking stream water to the failure to protect postal employees adequately, public confidence in the government’s ability to handle this and future crises has been shaken. It must be restored quickly.

The Bush administration’s point man on terrorism is Thomas J. Ridge, the head of the new Office of Homeland Security. Unfortunately, Ridge so far has failed to carry out his mandate--coordinating information and agencies. The lack of information and the conflicting messages from various agencies have increased public concern. At his White House press conference Thursday, Ridge did little to dispel it. On the contrary, he did not display a command of the facts or offer much sense of reassurance that progress is being made in creating a domestic counterterrorism program. Instead, he retreated to vague generalities and expressions of confidence in government experts.

To be sure, no one expects Ridge to command all expertise about biological weapons; on technical details he of course must defer to medical and bioterrorism authorities. Still, he is a skillful politician and he might be able to pull federal agencies into line--if he had the power to do so.

He doesn’t. Ridge has steadfastly maintained that his closeness to the president provides him with enough power to align federal agencies, but the incoherence of the past week suggests he doesn’t have the clout. The Homeland Security Council, which is made up of law enforcement agencies, will have its first meeting next week, but the president or the vice president will be in charge, not Ridge.

Ridge’s ability to intervene is critical. Poor cooperation between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Army’s biological laboratory at Ft. Detrick, Md., and the FBI may well have hampered efforts to protect postal employees. Indeed, it is abundantly clear that the CDC, the FBI, the Department of Defense and other agencies continue to regard each other as bureaucratic foes.

Various congressional bills are being proposed to enhance Ridge’s powers. Specifically, Ridge needs a budgetary veto over counterterrorism programs in the FBI, Defense Department and other agencies. He should have an official Cabinet post that is subject to congressional confirmation and funding. The White House opposes boosting Ridge’s position because it doesn’t want Congress to oversee the Homeland Security Office; that stance is shortsighted and feckless.

Pretty soon Ridge is going to start looking more like an ineffectual drug czar than the chief coordinator of U.S. security. Before he can strengthen homeland security effectively, his own position must be strengthened.