Mike Chertoff’s European “Welcome”

Gosh, I’m all red faced at the moment because I forgot to acknowledge DHS Secretary Mike Chertoff’s birthday yesterday.

Fortunately for me, though, he’s in the news again today, this time in Dublin, Ireland to pitch his plan to develop “a global system of anti-terrorist screening” at U.S. and European airports.

This is a good thing in theory, actually, but true to the Bushco “go-it-alone” ethos, he’s pitching this unilaterally throughout Europe instead of addressing his concerns at the United Nations, where agreements can be negotiated and brokered (you know, the whole “give and take” thing that Bushco does so well – snark).

As this story tells us…

When asked whether the United States considered a homegrown attack likely – the prevailing pattern in Britain, where British-born or legal residents have plotted or committed a string of attacks since 2005 – Chertoff said America needs to make the screening of international travelers a priority.

“We have less of a problem with homegrown terrorism than in Europe. That's not to say we don't have a problem,” he said, noting the May arrests of six foreign-born U.S. residents on suspicion of plotting to attack the Fort Dix army base.

“So I don't mean to suggest that the exclusive remedy is preventing bad people from getting into the United States ... but that is the point of their greatest vulnerability,” he said.

I’m not sure how Chertoff can quantify what we face in this country versus the homegrown terrorism faced abroad; just because nothing has happened lately (crossing my fingers here) doesn’t mean it’s any less of a threat than what we face from outside our borders, as described in this extensive USA Today article.

And to elaborate further, here is Chertoff interviewed by Der Spiegel in which he describes what he has in mind in detail also, conjuring up fearful scenarios every way possible as well as this astonishing quote…

I think in this country, people who have been admitted as immigrants tend to assimilate better than Muslim communities in general. They seem to be more prosperous and better educated than even the average American.

With all due respect to some of our immigrants, I don’t think Chertoff knows anything about “average American(s).”

And this story from August tells us of the resistance Chertoff encountered over “Secure Flight,” the Transportation Security Agency’s new screening program…

As part of Secure Flight, foreign nationals also would be subject to a security program called the Automated Targeting System. Intended to identify potential security threats, the ATS database uses information from credit card companies and other commercial data, and compares it to airline records. It was rejected for domestic travel due to privacy concerns, but will be used for international travelers, Chertoff said. The information will be retained for 15 years in a federal database.

Jerome Drevon-Barreaux, global travel manager for Paris-based systems integration and consulting provider Capgemini, said the new security regulations have raised concerns in Europe.

"This new measure, on top of all the other ones already in place, is really disturbing. Asking business travelers to plan their trip at least 72 hours in advance is unrealistic," said Drevon-Barreaux, who also serves as European regional chair for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives. "A lot of travelers would actually--and unfortunately--book their air tickets at the last minute."

Beyond the inconvenience of planning trips further in advance, the new rules seem unnecessary and unwelcome, said Drevon-Barreaux. He suggested that they may be more about politics than preventing terrorism on international flights. "This could be perceived as a protectionist measure, making non-U.S. based firms less competitive and unable to react quickly to clients' demands in a short timeframe," he said. "Asking for extra time would not help in protecting from terrorism but just penalize [international trade] and the whole economy between the U.S. and the rest of the world."

I’ll admit Chertoff has a tough job here, but he signed up for this deal on his own. And again, this is what happens when you act like you can dictate to the whole world, a lesson this administration apparently will never learn.