Let's Count the Ways they fail to meet their obligations
We hear how only the Republicans can protect America from terrorism. It is true there have not been any other attacks in America since 9/11. It is also true that the Bush administration has rallied cooperation among other countries as well as strengthened our own homeland security. However, when you look at the willingness to provide all that is needed, a very different picture emerges. Let's look as some of the security measures that Bush and the GOP has refused to fund:
Provide Radiation detection at the ports. The Democrats supported a 1.5 Billion investment to provide automatic radiation detection on EVERY crane in our ports. The Bush compromise was to include $50 Million in the budget for a $1.5 Billion dollar project.
Provide staffing at the ports that allow for inspection of ONLY 5% of the containers that come into America. What about the other 95%?
Bush included funding for 200 of the 10,000 added Border guards that HE said were required to help secure the Mexican Border. What about the remaining 9,800 guards?
Bush has refused to provide the funding to equip commercial aircraft with anti missile protection similar to what Israel has provided for their commercial aircraft.
Bush has not requested the needed funding to properly staff the Coast Guard which is hopelessly under staffed to protect our shores.
Bush has not increased the size of the active military despite his campaign statements in 2000 that our military was too small to meet its obligations which were far less in 2000 then they are today.
How anyone can assert that Bush and the GOP is the party that can protect us from terrorism in light of the above facts is amazing. We have the money for Iraq. We can grant tax cuts to Big Oil. We can give the wealthiest 5% of Americans tax cuts THEY DO NOT NEED. WE can not find the money to fully protect America!