7/8: Ridge ushers in the "post-Madrid" era

[shockingelk]

This is from July 8th of this year. Maybe it's just me, but saying frequent terror briefings are appropriate in a "post-Madrid" environment seems the exact same thing as saying more frequent terror briefings are appropriate due to the observation that an attack close to an election resulted in the ouster of the ruling party. Shorter: these terror briefings are political.

Question: Secretary Ridge, one question I have deals with timing.  There has been a steady stream of this kind of information coming in since, roughly, March, or so.  Why now?  Why give all of these briefings at this particular point?
Secretary Ridge:  Why?  I'm sorry.  I didn't --

Question:   Why give all of these briefings at this particular point and time?

Secretary Ridge:   Well, actually, we started this process several months ago, and I think there was a -- I gave a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters some time ago.  I thought that in the post-Madrid environment, it would be very important on a periodic basis to, frankly, just give Americans an update as to where we are and what we are doing, and you can fully anticipate that in the weeks and months ahead, we will ask you to convene again for another update.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=3810

Ayep. This is a dangerous post-Madrid environment we're living in. The post-9/11 environment is so passé.

Here's another time Ridge invoked a "post-Madrid environment", with emphasis added to a comment which is rather interesting in light of the events of the last few days:

HANNITY: We have some very big challenges facing us as a country as it relates to national security. The Republican conventions are coming in New York late this August. We even have the potential of the Olympics coming to New York in a few years.

We saw what happened in Spain -- terrorists trying to influence elections. Do you anticipate that at some of these very high-profile events that we are particularly vulnerable?

RIDGE: Because we believe that we might be vulnerable around these high-profile events, we do take added precaution, added preventive measures around both conventions.

Obviously in a post-Madrid environment, we believe that al Qaeda thinks they influenced the outcome of an election. We have quite a few high-profile public and symbolic events throughout the balance of the year, and around some of these we will be ramping up with even more protective measures to otherwise accommodate a public event.

Having said that, as well, on a day-to-day basis, Sean, we work very hard to use people and technology, regardless of the threat. We don't need an additional threat to get better prepared, but around the conventions and around the G-8 and several other very symbolic and important public events, you better believe we're going to have substantially more security than perhaps even the eye will witness.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120360,00.html

What do others think about the invoking of a "post-Madrid environment"?

[Ripley]

1. It's crap.

Did anyone rant and rave about the post-Oklahoma City environment?

I'm sure the Spaniards despise him for using them that way.

They surely have drugged half of America, because I don't see how anyone stone cold sober could read those transcripts and not see an eerie similarity to the documentaries on the Nazi's on the History Channel every night.

[shockingelk]

2. yes: bill clinton and janet reno

She asked for some of the provisions that Republicans (and democrats) rejected, such as getting a tap on a person and all the phones they may use instead of a phone number ("roving wire taps")

The Clinton WH also wanted to require chemical taggants to be required so the source of homemade explosives could be traced.

[shockingelk]

3. yes: b. clinton and j. reno

She asked for some of the provisions that Republicans (and democrats) rejected, such as getting a tap on a person and all the phones they may use instead of a phone number ("roving wire taps")

The Clinton WH also wanted to require chemical taggants to be required so the source of homemade explosives could be traced.