Ridge warns of pre-election attack
Some question if Bush administration is spreading fear
Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Friday, July 9, 2004
Washington -- The Bush administration warned Thursday that terrorists might launch a "large-scale attack" in the United States to influence November's presidential election, but critics questioned whether the White House was spreading fear of an attack for political purposes.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said the warning was based on credible reports suggesting al Qaeda was plotting an attack, including intelligence gleaned from recent arrests in Italy, Jordan and England. The White House also is convinced the Madrid rail bombings in March have led terrorists to believe they can time an attack to affect the way Americans vote.
"We lack precise knowledge about time, place and method of attack," Ridge told reporters, "but along with the CIA, FBI and other agencies, we are actively working to gain that knowledge."
The administration is increasing security around the Democratic and Republican national conventions this summer. But it has no plans to raise the color-coded terror alert status, which is currently yellow or "elevated," Ridge said.
Several Democrats said that while the threat was real, the administration did not have enough new intelligence to merit a public warning. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced in late May that terrorists planned to "hit the United States hard" this summer in advance of the election.
"It has been stated repeatedly that al Qaeda is planning an attack against the United States. The intelligence indicates that the attack may occur between now and the end of this year," said Rep. Jim Turner, D-Texas, the ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security. "Secretary Ridge's press conference today added nothing new to this information."
Administration officials said the intelligence, picked up from sources including Islamic militant Web sites, suggested that plans for an attack were nearly complete. While the government is concerned about the conventions, no credible intelligence has cited the political events in Boston and New York as targets, Ridge said.
Some Democratic groups questioned the timing of the warning, which came the same week that presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry named Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., as his running mate and the same day Enron chief Kenneth Lay, a top campaign contributor to Bush during his first race for the White House, was indicted. <b/>
America Coming Together, a Democratic group working to elect Kerry, issued a statement charging the announcement "continued the Bush-Cheney campaign based on fear" by issuing a warning without specific evidence of a looming attack.
Ridge, at a news conference Thursday, bristled at a reporter's question that the White House was attempting to aid Bush's re-election by "sending a subtle message that a vote for John Kerry is a vote for Osama bin Laden."
"It's a wrong interpretation," Ridge said. "We are basically laying out before the general public the kind of information that we've received. ... These are not conjectures or mythical statements we are making."
The issue of when the government should alert the public about terrorist threats has become a contentious debate -- especially with just four months until the presidential election.
Democratic strategists point out that Bush's best poll numbers relate to his handling of terrorism and that his re-election is aided the more his administration raises the issue. However, the administration has also been stung by critics -- including the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- for failing to issue more public warnings before the attacks on New York and Washington.
White House officials have decided to err on the side of issuing too many warnings, despite the criticism they are "crying wolf."
The administration this week held several closed-door briefings on Capitol Hill about the threats. House members were briefed Wednesday, and Ridge spoke Thursday with senators.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., acknowledged that much of the new intelligence was "very nonspecific," but he praised the administration for making sure the public remained vigilant.
"The country is at some increased risk between now and the time of the presidential election," Frist said. "It's important for people to be aware of that."
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., attended Ridge's briefing but came away unimpressed with the new intelligence, which she described as mostly a rehashing of previous threat information.
"This is nothing new," Boxer said. "We have been aware for some time that al Qaeda wanted to disrupt our country before the election and during the conventions. I would say with rare exceptions, it was fairly generalized (information.)"
After the briefing, Boxer -- who is running for re-election -- urged Republican leaders to take up two homeland security bills, rail security and port security measures, but her effort failed. Both bills have been passed by the Senate Commerce Committee.
"Here we are taking up things like class action reform and gay marriage when we are being called up to a secret meeting room to be told we need to be on guard about what might happen to our country," she said. "Sometimes you think you are in Alice in Wonderland."
Ridge said the government was making major strides in protecting the country. He cited new programs to track rail and truck shipments and a 24-hour information center that connects homeland security officials in all 50 states.
"We live in serious times, and this is sobering information about those who wish to do us harm," Ridge said. "But every day -- every day -- we strengthen the security of our nation."
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