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Fighting the Terrorists In response to the continuing terrorist threat against America, President Bush has announced the largest reorganization of the federal government since 1947. His decision to combine many of the nation's security agencies into one Cabinet-level department is a bold move. I believe the President's plan deserves the support of Congress and the American people. We last reorganized the federal government in 1947. We did so in response to the lessons we learned in the Second World War and to get ready for the Cold War against the Soviet Union. Fast forward 55 years. Today we must make sure our government is ready to confront and defeat our newest enemy: ruthless terrorists who deliberately target civilians on American soil. Everything we have learned since the September 11, 2001, attacks tells us that our new enemy is unlike anything we have ever faced before. These terrorists move freely around the world � even inside our own country. They swear allegiance to a deadly zealotry instead of a country. They deliberately target civilians. Using high technology, these elusive, deadly and highly educated foes are difficult to spot. For most of the last century, our government was structured to collect intelligence and fight wars against other nations � not shadowy terrorists. The awful attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon showed us how deadly our new enemy is. Right now, not one part of our federal government is dedicated exclusively to protecting our homeland. In fact, more than 100 different agencies and department share different pieces of the homeland protection puzzle. We have seen the result: a lack of cooperation and communication between agencies. This allowed terrorists to slip through the cracks. The new Department of Homeland Security will make Americans safer because one department will have the primary mission to protect our homeland. One department will oversee our border and critical infrastructure protection. One department will communicate with state and local emergency workers. Our nation cannot afford to be caught unprepared for another attack. That is why the President's plan to create a Department of Homeland Defense is a good idea. It will bring together the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, the U.S. Customs Service, our border guards and others into one department. Together, these agencies will work towards one overriding mission: to protect Americans from attack here at home. One Department will protect Americans at home against bioterrorism and other weapons of mass destruction. One department will synthesize and analyze homeland security intelligence from multiple sources. And one department will manage federal emergency response efforts. Is this some huge addition to the federal bureaucracy? No. The President's plan will not add one new federal worker to the rolls. Instead, it will merely consolidate many different parts of the federal government into one place. On September 11, 2001, our government was organized to fight and win the last war. On that tragic day, terrorists committed the American people to a new kind of war � one we were not prepared to prevent. President George W. Bush's decision to reorganize the federal government to prevent further attacks and to fight and win our current war is a bold move. And it deserves the support of every Missourian. |
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