The Test of Our Times
America Under Siege...And How We Can Be Safe Again
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In the harrowing days after September 11, 2001, the President of the United States reached out to one man to help guide the nation in its quest to shore up domestic security.
In this candid and compelling memoir, Tom Ridge describes the whirlwind series of events that took him from the state capital of Pennsylvania, into the fray of Washington, D.C., and onto the world stage as a new leader in the fight against international terrorism.
A Washington outsider, Ridge went above and beyond in his new post, identifying the need to integrate response teams on a wide-reaching scale and leading the nation's ambitious initiative of establishing a new Cabinet department, the Department of Homeland Security. The author recounts how the new department's unsung heroes, brought together under great duress, succeeded against difficult odds and navigated the politics of terrorism.
Perhaps most importantly, Ridge offers a prescriptive look to the future with provocative ideas such as a national ID card and the use of biometrics to track not just who enters the United States but also how long they are here. Tom Ridge simply tells it like it is, offering a refreshingly honest assessment of the state of homeland security today—and what it needs to be tomorrow.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ridge, the first secretary of homeland security, recalls the agency's creation and early history in a memoir of his time performing "the most thankless yet rewarding job in America." The author was governor of Pennsylvania when President Bush tapped him to coordinate the federal domestic counterterrorism effort after September 11. In a massive reorganization, Congress consolidated 22 agencies from the Coast Guard to the INS under the Department of Homeland Security. Ridge acknowledges his missteps, laments the baleful effects of "politics and turf" on his department and decries unfavorable media coverage. He also endeavors, unconvincingly, to defend the work of the Transportation Security Administration and the color-coded terror alert system. Hurricane Katrina did not occur on Ridge's watch, but disaster relief is one of DHS's responsibilities, and he cannot resist a self-serving analysis of the debacle. Ridge concludes with a series of recommendations for his successors, including "a national identification system," immigration reform, energy independence and a reorganization of DHS "along regional lines." DHS remains a work in progress, and Ridge's singular perspective recommends his memoir to policy makers, students and concerned citizens.
