Seriously. The BBC’s link to a profile on Bernard Kerik is entitled "Bush’s New Rambo." That title aside, it is a rather good, and impartial, profile on Mr. Kerik. What it comes down to is that Kerik is a great choice for the position. As a former top cop, and one who has won the NYPD Medal of Valor. The Rambo comes from:
A few years later, he began a long professional
association with former mayor Rudolph Giuliani. He served as Mr
Giuliani’s campaign bodyguard in 1993. A year later, he joined the
Department of Correction as the director of investigations. According
to the New York Times, one official told the department’s commissioner:
"Congratulations. You’ve just hired Rambo." Mr Kerik took over as
commissioner in 1997.There, he won accolades for curbing jail violence,
particularly at the notorious Rikers Island prison. In 2000, Mr
Giuliani chose him to take over as the city’s police commissioner.
Mr. Kerik is a cop and a security expert. He is hard charging, and should do a great job as Director of Homeland Security. One of the greatest problems facing Homeland Security, other then illegal immigration, is getting the law enforcement and intelligence services at the Federal, State, and local levels, such as the FBI, CIA, state police, etc, to play nice and not only share, but cooperate. He is the man for the job.
After the Trade Center attack, he urged lawmakers to
pass legislation that would encourage the FBI to share terrorism
information with the local police. He was quoted as saying that the
barriers between the different agencies were "the worst kind of
dysfunctional thinking in government".
Hopefully, he will practice what he preaches. He has a tough job ahead of him. He will be taking over a position in which the first, and former, Head of the DHS was often vilified by the press, the ACLU, as well as many on the Left. Will he be given the chance to make his mark, or will he be given the same treatment as Ridge, without even a by your leave? There are a few here, but, for the most part, most are leaving Kerik alone, and giving him a chance. And, isn’t that part of what America is about? Giving someone a chance?
