A headline of beauty: Panel urges DHS to prepare for presidential transition

[The Straight Story]

Panel urges DHS to prepare for presidential transition
By Chris Strohm CongressDaily January 10, 2008

An advisory council to the Homeland Security Department issued recommendations Thursday aimed at ensuring homeland security operations and programs are not compromised during the transition to a new presidential administration later this year, including a list of actions Congress should take.

"There will be a change of administration no matter which political party prevails," said William Webster, chairman of the Homeland Security Advisory Council and former CIA director. "This will be the first time that DHS has been required to meet the challenges of a presidential transition," a report from the council's administration transition task force said.

"Due to the critical nature of its mission ... it is important that DHS take action now to ensure a seamless and agile transition to new leadership and optimization of the new leadership's ability to assume operational control of the department."

Glenda Hood, who chaired the task force, noted that terrorist attacks occurred around governmental transitions in Spain in 2004 and in the United Kingdom last summer. She said the task force believes the most vulnerable time for the United States is 30 days before the upcoming presidential change and 60 days after the transition. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said his leadership team will examine the report and its recommendations.

The report makes recommendations in the areas of threat awareness, leadership, congressional oversight, policy, operations, succession and training. On congressional oversight, the report recommended that the Senate form a select bipartisan group from existing oversight committees to expedite confirmation of all presidential appointments to national security positions in the Homeland Security Department.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38997&dcn=todaysnews

There is an end to it all..... thank ya jeebus

[babylonsister]

1. Maybe they could start by getting rid of that awful name.

'Homeland' Security? :puke:

[aquart]

2. God, yes.

Although I prefer to evacuate the building and dismantle it, brick by brick and stone by stone, and make a tidy bonfire of what's left, including the 800,000 name NO FLY list. And Chertoff.

[ixion]

3. we made it along for 200+ years without it... I say get rid of it all together

good riddance to bad rubbish.