Tom Ridge Confirms What We Already Knew

You ever notice how "new revelations" about the Bush White House are always just confirmations of what anyone with a brain already knew? Paul Bedard of US News & World Report posts this on his blog:

Tom Ridge, the first head of the 9/11-inspired Department of Homeland Security, wasn't keen on writing a tell-all. But in The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege...and How We Can Be Safe Again, out September 1, Ridge says he wants to shake "public complacency" over security. And to do that, well, he needs to tell all. Especially about the infighting he saw that frustrated his attempts to build a smooth-running department. Among the headlines promoted by publisher Thomas Dunne Books: Ridge was never invited to sit in on National Security Council meetings; was "blindsided" by the FBI in morning Oval Office meetings because the agency withheld critical information from him; found his urgings to block Michael Brown from being named head of the emergency agency blamed for the Hurricane Katrina disaster ignored; and was pushed to raise the security alert on the eve of President Bush's re-election, something he saw as politically motivated and worth resigning over.

It's that last part, about jacking the "threat level" up and down during Bush's 2004 race against John Kerry that everyone knows. A common theme in the reasons given for raising the level was "officials have no concrete information" and usually involved "internet chatter" -- whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.

It's important to remember that Bush barely won that year and it's likely that dirty tricks like this probably made the difference. It's also important to remember that, although Ridge thought this was "worth resigning over," he didn't quit until November 30, 2004 -- after the election.

Apparently, it wasn't "worth resigning over" to the point that he actually resigned over it. At least, when it would've actually made a difference.