The Other Governor Who Could Head Homeland Security
The Republican dominance in this month's elections ensured that President Bush got his Department of Homeland Security. One of his most consequential choices now is the selection of the department's first secretary. Although Tom Ridge appears to be the president's choice, among others Bush should consider is former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore.</br></br>Elected in 1997 largely on the strength of his promise to cut the car tax, Gilmore was nearly run out of town four years later when he insisted on keeping his promise. The economy had weakened, and the state Senate demanded that the governor renege on his pledge. Gilmore refused and was widely blamed for the budget impasse that followed.</br></br>But what most Virginians may have forgotten is that in 1999 Gilmore was tapped to head a national commission on terrorism. For two years before the subject was blurred by primacy, proximity and politics, Gilmore's commission studied potential avenues of terrorist attack and the best means of prevention and response.</br></br>In December 1999, the panel reported that a catastrophic attack in the United States was inevitable and that the nation should prepare by coordinating strategy among federal, state and local responders. A year later, the commission presented dozens more recommendations, many of which were adopted by the Bush administration after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks: creating an executive branch office charged with combating terrorism; strengthening first-responder services; and improving intelligence- gathering and communication among investigative agencies.</br></br>Having spent three years anticipating terrorism and devising ways to counter it, Gilmore is one of the few people who could bring applicable experience to the Department of Homeland Security. Moreover, former governors are among the most suitable candidates for the job because they are experienced in supervising convergent agencies.