US at risk for more attacks

2005-12-05 07:45

Washington - The United States is at great risk for more terrorist attacks because Congress and the White House have failed to enact several strong security measures, members of the former September 11 commission said on Sunday.

"It's not a priority for the government right now," said the former chairperson, Thomas Kean, ahead of the group's release of a report on Monday assessing how well its recommendations have been followed.

"More than four years after 9/11 ... people are not paying attention," the former Republican governor of New Jersey said. "God help us if we have another attack."

Added Lee Hamilton, the former Democratic vice-chairperson of the commission: "We believe that another attack will occur. It's not a question of if. We are not as well-prepared as we should be."

US 'less safe'

The five Republicans and five Democrats on the commission, whose recommendations are now promoted through a privately funded group known as the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, conclude that the government deserves "more Fs than As," meaning more low than high grades, in responding to their 41 suggested changes.

Since the commission's final report in July 2004, the government has enacted the centrepiece proposal to create a national intelligence director. But the government has stalled on other ideas, including improving communication among emergency responders and shifting federal terrorism-fighting money so it goes to US states based on risk level.

"There is a lack of a sense of urgency," Hamilton said. "There are so many competing priorities. We've got three wars going on: one in Afghanistan, one in Iraq and the war against terror. And it's awfully hard to keep people focused on something like this."

National security adviser Stephen Hadley said on Sunday that President George W Bush is committed to putting in place most of the commission's recommendations.

"Obviously, as we've said all along, we are safer, but not yet safe. There is more to do," Hadley said on the television show "Fox News Sunday."

Ex-commissioners contended the government has been remiss by failing to act more quickly.

Congress established the commission in 2002 to investigate government missteps that led to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Its 567-page final report, which became a national best seller, does not blame Bush or former President Bill Clinton for missteps contributing to the attacks but did say they failed to make anti-terrorism a higher priority.

The commission also concluded that the September 11 attack would not be the United States' last, noting that al-Qaeda had tried for at least 10 years to acquire weapons of mass destruction.

Calling the country "less safe than we were 18 months ago," former Democratic commissioner Jamie Gorelick said Sunday the government's failure to move forward on the recommendations makes the US more vulnerable.

- AP