Tom Ridge: Straight to the remainder bin

By Michelle Malkin  •  August 31, 2009 09:44 AM


Ridge: This is the size of my credibility.

Former DHS secretary Tom Ridge exposed himself as a weasel nearly two weeks ago when he allowed his publisher to gin up bogus book buzz with a false claim about the Bush administration pressuring him to alter homeland security alerts for political purposes.

He confirmed his weaseliness again in a USA Today interview published today, in which he walks back the sham allegation:

Former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge, speaking for the first time about accusations made in his new book, says he did not mean to suggest that other top Bush administration officials were playing politics with the nation’s security before the 2004 presidential election.

“I’m not second-guessing my colleagues,” Ridge said in an interview about The Test of Our Times, which comes out Tuesday and recounts his experiences as head of the nation’s homeland security efforts in the first several years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks…

…is most explosive accusation: that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Attorney General John Ashcroft pressed him to raise the national threat level after Osama bin Laden released a videotape criticizing President Bush shortly before Election Day 2004. Ridge writes he rejected raising the level because bin Laden had released nearly 20 such tapes since 9/11 and the latest contained nothing suggesting an imminent threat.

Noting that Bush’s approval ratings typically went up when the threat level was raised, Ridge writes that Ashcroft and Rumsfeld pushed to elevate it during a “vigorous” discussion.

“Ashcroft strongly urged an increase in the threat level, and was supported by Rumsfeld,” he writes. “There was absolutely no support for that position within our department. None. I wondered, ‘Is this about security or politics?’ ”

Although he prevailed and the threat level was not elevated, Ridge writes that the episode reinforced his decision to resign. He did so weeks after the election.

Last week, when word got out about Ridge’s accusations, Rumsfeld’s spokesman Keith Urbahn issued a statement calling them “nonsense.”

Now, Ridge says he did not mean to suggest he was pressured to raise the threat level, and he is not accusing anyone of trying to boost Bush in the polls. “I was never pressured,” Ridge said.

Straight to the remainder bin — and good riddance. What a waste of trees.

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Comments


  1. #794592
    On August 31st, 2009 at 9:58 am, DogBreath said:

    Crap weasel.

  2. #794594
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:01 am, backwoods conservative said:

    Even with the false advertising, he never had a chance of selling as many books as you.

  3. #794595
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:02 am, tre said:

    Straight to the remainder bin — and good riddance.

    Do you mean his book?

    Or him?

  4. #794599
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:05 am, moc23 said:

    I’m angry at Bush for hiring this guy. He needed to do better diligence.

  5. #794601
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:09 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

    Poor lgm’s head is going to explode. What to do? What to do?

  6. #794602
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:11 am, Dexter Alarius said:

    I’m guessing in that picture he’s answering a question about his manhood.

  7. #794603
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:12 am, Danceswithdachshunds said:

    What floors me is the implication that IF he had agreed that the threat level deserved to be raised he still might have balked about doing it over the concern that it could appear to have been done for a political advantage.

    Scary stuff that – wrong person for the job.

  8. #794605
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:13 am, jbh45 said:

    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:09 am, 30 pcs of silver said:
    Poor lgm’s head is going to explode. What to do? What to do?

    Grab a beer, some pretzels, sit back and watch the entertainment…

  9. #794606
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:15 am, BadIdeaGuy said:

    There are people trying to position Ridge for a 2012 “moderate” GOP run here in the stupid, wannabe Democrat Northeast.

  10. #794608
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:19 am, DogBreath said:

    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:09 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

    Poor lgm’s head is going to explode. What to do? What to do?

    That won’t happen. LGM has a brain like a sieve.

  11. #794610
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:21 am, spaceycakes said:

    says he did not mean to suggest

    That’s why it went through editors & re-writes, and proofreaders, right?

    BS.

  12. #794613
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:32 am, cheapseat said:

    didn’t we run the democrats favorite republican last time and didn’t he get beat by a no experience communist community organizer? so let’s repeat the process in 2012 with ridge.

  13. #794614
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:32 am, stillontheroad said:

    30 pcs of silver said:
    lgm will be running around in his/her/its front yard on all fours trying to bite his/her/its own A–.
    As for Ridge, another RINO jackass trying to make a buck 3/80.

  14. #794616
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:34 am, Mister P said:

    I worked at Homeland Security. I saw the corrupt Tom Ridge squander over 1 billion dollars on a 4 year software project that NEVER worked. It was a program to target containers at ports. He put it into the hands of SAP (yes a German company), Lockheed and IBM. It became a nice boondoggle.

  15. #794617
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:34 am, dan708 said:

    Straight to the remainder bin — and good riddance. What a waste of trees.

    What a waste of OXYGEN is more like it. There would be less global warming if this guy wasn’t so full of hot air!

  16. #794625
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:40 am, Rogue Cheddar said:

    From Kindle to Kindling in one swell foop! And Zero says there is no God.

  17. #794630
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:42 am, Flyoverman said:

    DHS is about as effective as a sharp paperclip. Defund it and revert the origanization to what it was.

    It’s a superfleous department that does nothing to enhance real security.

  18. #794631
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:42 am, NC BLUE said:

    This guy is so crooked he has to screw his socks on. If he was pressured for political reasons, he should have resigned then. He is a typical RINO–McCain–oh no, sleep deprivation is torture—watching you is torture Senator McLame.

  19. #794632
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:42 am, IndyRich said:

    Loved the picture caption!! ROFLMAO!

  20. #794652
    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:58 am, fulldroolcup said:

    Lets take a vote, as to which is more disturbing:

    * Henry Waxman’s nostrilitis

    * Tom Ridge’s tiny mouth

  21. #794673
    On August 31st, 2009 at 11:09 am, Freddy said:

    This Ridge episode is only to create interest in his book. It is ALWAYS prudent to change the threat level around major elections.

    Look no farther than what happened in Spain if you wonder why.

  22. #794675
    On August 31st, 2009 at 11:10 am, spaceycakes said:

    fulldroolcup–Which one is Waxman, ‘Kang’ or ‘Kodos’?

  23. #794680
    On August 31st, 2009 at 11:14 am, irving said:

    Although he prevailed and the threat level was not elevated, Ridge writes that the episode reinforced his decision to resign.

    “Idiots! How can I respect people who keep listening to me? Get me out of this loony bin!”

  24. #794699
    On August 31st, 2009 at 11:29 am, jsmiddleton4 said:

    full….

    Sorry but that is no contest.

    * Henry Waxman’s nostrilitis

    Is a winning pick…..

  25. #794701
    On August 31st, 2009 at 11:30 am, jsmiddleton4 said:

    * Henry Waxman’s nostrilitis

    It blows Ridge away…..

  26. #794709
    On August 31st, 2009 at 11:33 am, jsmiddleton4 said:

    * Henry Waxman’s nostrilitis

    Trounce Ridge with just a flick….

  27. #794710
    On August 31st, 2009 at 11:33 am, jsmiddleton4 said:

    And yes, I am thinking about decaf…

  28. #794728
    On August 31st, 2009 at 11:48 am, spaceycakes said:

    * Henry Waxman

    how do you make a hankerchief dance?

    blow a little boogie in it.

  29. #794730
    On August 31st, 2009 at 11:51 am, hawkeye54 said:

    Straight to the remainder bin outhouse or Cuba, for that matter.

    About the only places this book could prove useful.

  30. #794772
    On August 31st, 2009 at 12:23 pm, GladzKravtz said:

    I feel sorry for him.

  31. #794784
    On August 31st, 2009 at 12:30 pm, jwm said:

    Look for this book at the $3.99 sale area at your local bookstore. As they say in the movie biz, “straight to video.” What a liar and a woos! The sooner the Republican Party weeds out these types and bring in fresh blood, the better off we’ll be.

  32. #794808
    On August 31st, 2009 at 12:46 pm, happyscrapper said:

    I never was a proponent of book burning, but…

  33. #794825
    On August 31st, 2009 at 12:58 pm, lgm said:

    What evidence do you have that Tom Ridge is lying? Were you there? Have the others who were there proven more trustworthy? (Hint: no).

  34. #794837
    On August 31st, 2009 at 1:05 pm, happyscrapper said:

    On August 31st, 2009 at 12:58 pm, lgm said:
    What evidence do you have that Tom Ridge is lying? Were you there? Have the others who were there proven more trustworthy? (Hint: no).

    The evidence is Ridge’s own words as he backtracked and denied he ever “meant to imply…” Now go away.

  35. #794871
    On August 31st, 2009 at 1:21 pm, b-cat said:

    On August 31st, 2009 at 10:09 am, 30 pcs of silver said:
    Poor lgm’s head is going to explode. What to do? What to do?

    There you go, 30!

  36. #794953
    On August 31st, 2009 at 2:02 pm, DBNinKY said:

    When Ridge himself is declaring, unequivocally, that the publishers OVERSTATED the scenarios described in his book and mis-implied the meanings, it does those who continue to defend the publishers’ statements as truth a great disservice to their own credibility.

  37. #795074
    On August 31st, 2009 at 3:06 pm, TigerLady said:

    Ridge: This is the size of my credibility.

    I believe he over estimated it by at least 90%.

  38. #795201
    On August 31st, 2009 at 4:39 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    So Ridge pressured himself to say that others pressured him before he admitted that nobody had pressured him?

    Is he lying to his diary again?

    But you’re not supposed to point that out. It might hurt lgm’s feelings…

    On August 31st, 2009 at 1:05 pm, happyscrapper said:

    On August 31st, 2009 at 12:58 pm, lgm said:
    What evidence do you have that Tom Ridge is lying? Were you there? Have the others who were there proven more trustworthy? (Hint: no).

    The evidence is Ridge’s own words as he backtracked and denied he ever “meant to imply…” Now go away.

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