Tom Kean, former Governor of New Jersey and the co-chair of the 9/11 Commission, delivered the keynote speech at the somewhat terrifyingly named conference, "Emergency Preparedness in the Region: What Have We Done & What is Still Needed?" This reporter was hoping the answers were Everything and Nothing, respectively. Sadly, they were not. Highlights from his speech and the conference after the jump...More...
Just in case you forgot about terrorism/ Al Qaeda:
"They've stated plainly and continue to state they want to kill Americans, and they want to kill as many of us as they can wherever they can. They want to produce mass casualties."
He's ANGRY at Congress:
“Congress was very anxious and willing to reform the executive branch. They were not so willing to reform themselves,” said Kean. “The 9/11 commission recommendations have made no headway, or very little headway, in congressional reform.”
Why is Congress a problem? Well, it turns out the Department of Homeland Security still has to report to 86 congressional committees, down from 88 since the 9/11 Commission Report was release. Michael Chertoff told Kean that he spent one third of his time preparing to testify in front of Congress.
Other highlights from the rest of the conference:
The audience laughing when the head of the New Jersey office of Homeland Security passed off a question to someone from the Port Authority, saying, "I’m a believer that if we have another event in this area its going to be on Port Authority property,” to which he responded, "hopefully not before I retire!" Hillarious! Clearly, this was a conference full of people who spend their time contemplating terrorist attacks on American soil; they'll get their laughs when they can.
Full Story here.
SKG
Update: And here!
AW
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