More On Kerik

Of course, my criticism of Bush's selection of Kerik isn't an endorsement of the gross incompetence of Michael Chertoff who, while obviously a more intelligent man than Kerik, was tapped to head the DHS because of his work for the Republicans against Clinton and because he was "clean" in all the ways Kerik is dirty.

But Kerik's failings go far beyond favoritism, self-dealing, and association with scumbags and Judith Regan. Kerik has a record of failure in matters of public safety and disaster response, as the Center for American Progress discussed last December:

KERIK ABANDONS CRITICAL POST IN IRAQ TO TAKE A VACATION: The Washington Post reports that Kerik's track record on issues of national security is "spotty." Appointed by President Bush to train a new Iraqi police force in 2003, "Kerik came under criticism for inadequate screening of recruits as U.S. authorities rushed to deploy the force. It has been plagued by desertions and by allegations that insurgents have infiltrated the ranks." Worse, Kerik "quit four months into his six-month tenure in Iraq, telling New York reporters later that he needed a vacation."

KERIK CRITICIZED BY CONSERVATIVES FOR POST-9/11 OPERATIONS: A prominent Republican member of the Sept. 11 commission, former Navy secretary John F. Lehman, sharply criticized Kerik "for failures of leadership during the terrorist attacks" of 9/11. Lehman said that Kerik allowed turf battles with the Fire Department to "hamper rescue efforts" and called Kerik's leadership at the time "not worthy of the Boy Scouts."

As Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Chertoff would make a great defense attorney for Duke Cunningham, Jack Abramoff or Karl Rove. Regretably, the forces of nature aren't susceptible to a well-crafted line of bullshit.