Keeping America Safe at Home
Democrats are unwavering in our commitment to keep our nation safe. That's why we led the fight to create the Department of Homeland Security and continue to fight to ensure that our ports, nuclear and chemical plants, and other sensitive facilities are secured against attack.
Democrats support fair immigration reform that keeps our borders secure. Democrats are also united to ensure that the world's most dangerous weapons stay out of the hands of terrorists. We will expand the pace and scope of programs to eliminate and safeguard nuclear materials, enhance efforts to keep these and other deadly materials out of the hands of terrorists, and assist state and local governments in equipping and training those responsible for dealing with the effects of terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction.
President Bush recently gave the commencement address at the Merchant Marine Academy. Unfortunately, while the Merchant Marines valiantly serve our nation, President Bush and Republicans in Congress have continuously talked tough, but have failed to do what it takes to keep America safe, weakening our national security. Democrats remain committed to keeping our ports and borders secure.
Why does the DOJ want my online records? Today's LA Times investigates the Bush Administration's ploy to require online service providers to keep a record of every customer's online activity for two years. What is the justification for violating our...
As a present on the first day of Hurricane Season, Republicans have cut in half grants for security and disaster preparedness in the city of New Orleans. This comes as residents of New York City and Washington DC (myself included)...
The Bush Administration has once again demonstrated that it doesn’t have its priorities straight when it comes to keeping America safe. This year, the Republican-led Congress slashed funding for urban grants, which are used to help first responders in the event of a terrorist attack or a disaster, by $600 million.
President Bush’s nominee to head the CIA, Michael Hayden, engaged in misleading rhetoric about Bush’s secret domestic spying programs.
Today, editorial boards across the country came to the conclusion that President Bush's address last night and his immigration plan lack specifics.
Editorial boards across the country have a number of questions about President Bush's secret NSA program to create the largest database "ever assembled in the world" to collect the phone records of "tens of millions of Americans." [
USA Today, 5/11/06] While the Bush Administration initially assured Americans that the NSA was focused only on international calls, this is clearly not the case.
This week, Senator Bill Nelson from Florida delivered the Democratic Radio Address. To listen to the audio, click here. Hi, I'm Bill Nelson, Senator from Florida. I know that many of you are anxious right now - with $3 gasoline...
President Bush continues to play defense for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Seven former Generals have now called for Rumsfeld to resign because of his incompetence and his unwillingness to listen to the advice of our military experts and commanders, some of whom have direct experience in Iraq.
President Bush detailed the alleged existence of mobile biological weapons laboratories and claimed that "We have found the weapons of mass destruction," two days after a "Pentagon-sponsored mission transmitted their unanimous findings to Washington" in a field report that directly contradicted the President’s statements. The final version of that report remains classified.
This week, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer delivered the Democratic Radio Address. To listen to the audio, click here. Good morning. This is Congressman Steny Hoyer of Maryland. I am the House Democratic Whip. On March 29th, House and Senate...
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement on reports that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, told prosecutors President Bush authorized him to leak classified information for political gain.
As part of the Democratic National Committee's commitment to reaching out to and supporting America's veterans and military families, DNC Chairman Howard Dean yesterday announced the appointment of regional members of the Democratic National Veterans and Military Families Council and unveiled the Council's new website highlighting the campaigns of more than two dozen Democratic veterans running for Congress.
As part of the Democratic National Committee’s commitment to reaching out to and supporting America's veterans and military families, DNC Chairman Howard Dean today announced the appointment of regional members of the Democratic National Veterans and Military Families Council and unveiled the Council’s new website highlighting the campaigns of more than two dozen Democratic veterans running for Congress.
Today, Democratic leaders across the country will join House and Senate Democrats in unveiling a comprehensive plan for providing the American people with real security.
According to an article in today’s New York Times, four years after 9/11, our nation’s railways remain dangerously unsecured.
The first responsibility of our government is the security of every American. In this era of unprecedented and unpredictable challenge, we must be prepared for any threat. The men and women of America’s armed forces and those on the...
Today, the New York Times editorial board questioned Secretary of Homeland Security Micheal Chertoff's deference to industry over Americans' safety. The editorial charges that Chertoff has undermined homeland security by ignoring chemical plant safety measures, leaving them vulnerable targets for terrorist attacks.
Democratic leaders across the country joined House and Senate Democrats in unveiling a comprehensive plan for providing the American people with real security. The agenda stands in stark contrast to the dangerous incompetence of the Republican leadership.
Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda issued the following statement on Vice President Cheney's unpatriotic, false, and divisive tactics during his speech today.
This week, the Democratic National Committee's Podcast features an interview with U.S. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. During the podcast, Senator Reed criticized the Bush Administration for offering a public relations campaign rather than real leadership and a strategy for victory in Iraq.
Today, President Bush held a press conference where he unpatriotically attacked Democrats, continued to paint an unrealistically rosy picture in Iraq, and renewed support for his failed domestic agenda.
After years of ignoring the facts, cherry picking information and misleading the American people, the Bush Administration clarified their strategy yesterday: pass the buck. Former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie led the Republican Party's misleading, divisive and unpatriotic attacks on Democrats this morning in hopes of distracting the American people from noticing that the new strategy looks a lot like the old one.
Republican Senator John McCain is in Beverly Hills tonight raising money for Governor Schwarzenegger. While in Southern California, McCain should explain why he supported President Bush's attempts to outsource the operation of six American ports to a foreign government-owned company-even after the company agreed to sell off its American holdings.
Karl Rove and the Republicans argue that the issue of security will propel them to victory in 2006, but the truth is Republican leaders have been weak on security.
What a difference a week makes. A week ago Republicans pledged to restore fiscal discipline to Washington during their leadership conference in Tennessee, but just this week voted against the priorities of working families, and undermined Americans' economic security.
The Associated Press reports that many FBI agents don't have e-mail accounts due to lack of funding.
This week, Senator Dianne Feinstein from California delivered the Democratic Radio Address. To listen to the audio, click here. Good morning. I'm Senator Dianne Feinstein This week is the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq - a country that...
Three years after Vice President Cheney said that American troops would be greeted as liberators, the American military today is engaging in the largest air strikes since the war began.
Army General Wesley Clark and Lt. Colonel Andrew Horne, a Marine who served two tours in Iraq, today held a conference call with reporters to discuss the President’s speech in Louisville
Karl Rove and the Republicans argue that the issue of security will propel them to victory in 2006, but the truth is Republican leaders have been weak on security.
According to an article by the Associated Press yesterday, the foreign government-owned company that promised to divest all of its American holdings after the public uproar over its purchase of six of our nation's busiest ports, has indicated that it will not sell its interest in Miami's seaport.
Karl Rove and the Republicans argue that the issue of security will propel them to victory in 2006, but the truth is Republican leaders have been weak on security.
Karl Rove and the Republicans argue that the issue of security will propel them to victory in 2006, but the truth is Republican leaders have been weak on security.
As the Senate begins consideration of President Bush's FY 2007 budget today, Republicans in the Senate are continuing to stand in the way of Democrats' efforts to properly fund our nation's first responders.
Today, in what has become a hackneyed strategy, President Bush tried to kick-start another PR campaign aimed at deflecting attention away from his failed strategy in Iraq.
Karl Rove and the Republicans argue that the issue of security will propel them to victory in 2006, but the truth is Republican leaders have been weak on security.
Today, in Memphis, at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman tried to deflect attention away from the GOP's failed record both at home and abroad with more partisan attacks.
This week, Governor Dean delivered the Democratic Radio Address. He applauded Democratic efforts to prevent President Bush from outsourcing the control of our largest ports to a foreign government-owned company.
Democrats in Memphis are unveiling a mobile billboard today calling on national Republicans, who are in town for a conference, to answer why they have stood in the way of improving our port security, and why they stood in the way of Democratic efforts to stop outsourcing the operation of our ports.
Karl Rove and the Republicans argue that the issue of security will propel them to victory in 2006, but the truth is Republican leaders have been weak on security.
This is from SusanG Daily Kos, but after seeing the seeing "Bush worried about message sent by failed port deal" as the headline on CNN.com, it needs to be here.
(This weekend, around 1,800 Republicans are expected to swarm upon Memphis, Tennessee in order to get a first hand look at six potential GOP candidates for president in 2008. The DNC is rolling out the welcome mat out for them;...
When the potential 2008 Republican presidential candidates gather in Tennessee, they need to stand up and answer one simple question: Why are Republicans handing over port security to a foreign government?
Karl Rove and the Republicans argue that the issue of security will propel them to victory in 2006, but the truth is Republican leaders have been weak on security.
While Republicans are finally joining Democrats in opposing the Bush Administration's deal to outsource the management of six of our nation's busiest seaports to a foreign government-owned company, they have yet to provide the funding necessary to secure our nation's porous ports.
Republicans are in denial. This week, while President Bush defended his bungling of a deal to allow a foreign-owned company to run six of our nation's largest seaports, Republican strategists continued to argue that the issue of security would propel Republicans to victory in the 2006 elections.
President Bush is allowing Dubai Ports World to move forward and complete its controversial ports deal early next week, before the U.S. government has a chance to finish its 45-day security investigation.
The Bush Administration's bungling of a deal to allow a foreign government-owned firm to run some of our nation's largest seaports has put the spotlight on the White House's continuing efforts to put the priorities of corporate special interests above the concerns of the American people.
Governor Dean: "After five years and two warnings from the 9/11 Commission, President Bush has failed to make our nation's ports safe and secure. We ought not to be letting foreign government-owned companies run our already porous ports, and the...
After a week where President Bush was forced to explain a controversial port deal and the failed response to Hurricane Katrina, Americans were reminded that this Administration has failed to take aggressive action to prepare the country against potential threats to our national security.
Newspapers across America are weighing in on President Bush's efforts to bypass a mandatory 45-day review of the deal to let a foreign company manage six of the nation's largest ports, and the continuing vunerability of our nations ports.
Last week was a difficult one for Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. He was forced to reverse his position on President Bush's decision to short-circuit oversight of a deal that would outsource the operation of six American ports to a foreign, state-owned company. As if that weren't enough, Frist used faulty math in a USA Today op-ed that stretched to defend Republicans' misplaced budget priorities.
President Bush's incompetence when it comes to keeping Americans safe, including the recent bungling of a deal to let a Dubai-based firm run some of our nation's largest seaports, and his failed policies on the National Guard, helps explain the shifting public opinion against his Administration.
Today in a speech before the Annual Conference of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean detailed the weakness of the Republican party on matters of national defense, and forcefully detailed why Democrats are stronger in keeping America safe.
As more details emerge about President Bush's bungling of a deal to allow a foreign government-owned company to run some of our nation's largest seaports, his failure to protect our homeland becomes clearer.
In a strongly worded editorial this morning, the Boston Globe criticized the wait and see attitude on port security that has plagued Congress under Republican control, and which gained national prominence with the Bush Administration's willingness to allow a foreign government-owned company to control major U.S. ports.
Today, on the 3rd anniversary of the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, the ranking Democratic Member on the House Committee on Homeland Security, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), released a report highlighting the failures of the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans in keeping America safe.
This morning, a story in the Washington Post noted that due to President Bush's failed policies and waning credibility and popularity, a "breakdown" in consensus on national security among Republicans is growing larger.
"Over the past two weeks, the American people have learned that the British company that handles cargo at six major U.S. ports was being taken over by Dubai Ports World - a company owned by the government of the United...
(From a speech given by Governor Dean earlier today at the the Annual Conference of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. -- Tim) "Karl Rove says that the Republicans are going to win on the issue of defense. I submit...
Republican Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, Thomas Kean*, spoke out today against the Republican plan to sell of six major U.S. ports to a foreign, state-owned corporation. The Associated Press: Thomas Kean, a former Republican governor of New Jersey who...
... the American people trust the Democratic Party in Congress more than President Bush when it comes national security. Rasmussen. 1000 Adults. Febrary 23-26, 2006. MoE +/- 4% Trust More on National Security President Bush: 41% Democrats in Congress: 43%...
After bungling the response to Hurricane Katrina, receiving failing grades on national preparedness by the 9/11 Commission, and now cutting corners on our port security, Republican lawmakers have finally accepted the fact that President Bush has no coattails, especially on the issue of national security.
Today, an article in the USA Today noted the need for a broader examination of America's port security. While the article calls upon lawmakers to focus on the gaps in security programs of our nation's 360 ports, Democrats have been advocating increased security and funding for years.
Today, Senator John McCain will visit Miami, Florida, home of one of our nation's largest ports. Senator McCain should use his visit to explain why he supports President Bush's plan to outsource the operation of six American ports, including Miami, to a foreign, state owned company.
Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, Ranking Member on the House Homeland Security Committee, made comments on the Bush Administration's failure to properly fund and prioritize port security.
Bob Dole, International Man of Mystery: With his wife under fire from Democrats, and lobbying spouses under increased scrutiny, former Sen. Bob Dole pledged Thursday not to pitch members of Congress -- including Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C. -- on the...
Where have we heard a similar exchange before? Levin, raising his voice at the briefing, told Kimmitt, "If you want the law changed, come to Congress and change it but don't ignore it." Kimmitt responded, "We didn't ignore the law....
Following President Bush’s strident threat to veto any legislation that blocks his deal with Dubai Ports World to operate major U.S. ports, the New York Times today revealed that his Administration skipped a mandatory 45-day review process of the deal.
Republican Governors George Pataki, Robert Ehrlich, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist today joined the chorus of Democrats and Republicans who've voiced concerns about the Bush administration's plan to allow Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates, to operate major U.S. Ports.
In today's New York Daily News, Michael McAuliff reveals that two Senior White House officials have ties to Dubai Ports World, the foreign company the Bush Administration has approved to run major U.S. ports.
Today in Florida, President Bush will speak at the Port of Tampa after receiving a briefing on the war on terror at the headquarters of U.S. Central Command.
The New York Times provides yet another reason why handing over control of U.S. port security to a foreign, state-owned company in the manner the president continues to insist upon is a bad idea ... cause it's against the law....
Everyone's favorite "maverick," Senator John McCain, has transformed his "straight talk express" into the only fully-funded first reponse operation paid for by the current Bush Adminstration. Bush and McCain have begun to build a political alliance for 2008. As public...
As the president runs around threatening to veto attempts to stop the transfer of our national security to a foreign government, the United Arab Emirates, it turns out even he had no idea about the port deal until after it...
President Bush continues to shrug off arguments from both parties that handing over the keys to six major ports is a serious national security concern. The president has threatened to use his veto pen for the first time ever to ensure a foreign, state-owned company can claim control over port security in the U.S.
The president is shrugging this one off as well... From the New York Times: The Bush administration dismissed the security concerns of local officials yesterday and restated its approval of a deal that will give a company based in Dubai...
This week, Republican members of the House of Representatives will release a report that is highly critical of the Bush Administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina.
This morning, DNC Chairman Howard Dean appeared on CNN's "American Morning" to discuss the Democratic agenda and National Security.
Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney issued the following statement in response to Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman's divisive partisan attacks on Democrats ability to protect America:
Associated Press: The deaths and suffering of thousands of Hurricane Katrina's victims might have been avoided if the government had heeded lessons from the 2001 terror attacks and taken a proactive stance toward disaster preparedness, a House inquiry concludes. But...
Today, the Washington Post disclosed two new facts that contradict President Bush's assertions about his domestic spying program by detailing how his possibly illegal program undermines the effort to detain terror suspects and how instrumental the standard FISA warrant process has been in tracking terror suspects around the globe.
This will probably make your blood boil ... absolutely shameful. The Charleston, West Virginia Gazette: The last time 1st Lt. William "Eddie" Rebrook IV saw his body armor, he was lying on a stretcher in Iraq, his arm shattered and...
Excerpts of Governor Dean on Fox News Sunday, January 29th, 2006.
Today, the Associated Press reports on a new Pentagon study that extended troop deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan have over-stretched the US Army.
President Bush today began a three-day public relations campaign aimed at selling his domestic spying program to the American people. Instead of answering questions about the legality of his program, President Bush offered little more than the standard, shopworn rhetoric and tired distortions we have heard since the program was revealed.
President Bush today began a three-day public relations campaign aimed at selling his domestic spying program to the American people with a speech at Kansas State University. President Bush's new effort to convince the American people that he did not break the law in authorizing the government to spy on American citizens follows Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove's comments last Friday criticizing Democrats for asking questions about the program.
Washington Post: The presiding judge of a secret court that oversees government surveillance in espionage and terrorism cases is arranging a classified briefing for her fellow judges to address their concerns about the legality of President Bush's domestic spying program,...
Washington Post: A federal judge has resigned from the court that oversees government surveillance in intelligence cases in protest of President Bush's secret authorization of a domestic spying program, according to two sources. U.S. District Judge James Robertson, one of...
Editorial boards across the country resoundingly panned President Bush’s performance during a Monday morning news conference dominated by questions about a secret program to spy on American citizens and his continuing failure to explain his actions and decisions on the program.
You've probably seen a number of domestic spy defenders running around talking about laying the blame for the "next attack" at the feet of those opposed to unchecked executive power. After hearing it about half a dozen times on cable...
Just released (.mp3). Democrats are serious about fighting terrorists, and the American people deserve a President and Vice President who understand that we can protect our liberty and our freedom AND keep America safe. President Bush’s secret program to spy...
A speech delivered by President Bush on April 20, 2004 -- Buffalo, New York: Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has...
November 14, 2005 - President Bush on Iraq: Leaders in my administration and members of the United States Congress from both political parties looked at the same intelligence on Iraq, and reached the same conclusion December 19, 2005 - President...
With his credibility still in shambles, President Bush continued his PR blitz by holding a rare press conference this morning in which he refused respond to the widespread, bipartisan concerns about the Patriot Act and his decision to ignore the laws governing national security and use the country’s intelligence services to spy on Americans.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: While President Bush paints Iraq as the central front in the war on terror, the former members of the 9/11 Commission say the government isn't doing enough to protect us from another attack at home. The bipartisan...
This morning, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean addressed the General Session of the 2005 DNC Fall Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.
Governor Dean was on NBC's Meet the Press yesterday morning and stood up for the Democratic agenda, our shared Democratic values, and pledged to "stand up and tell the truth."
Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, questioning intelligence that President Bush used in the run-up to the war in Iraq and accusing Republicans of ignoring the issue.
