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Return to Article: Chertoff sees too many congressional hearings, demands

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  One only needs to read the Hart-Rudman Commission recommendations and the 9/11 commission hearings to realize that congress only gave DHS some of the tools neccessary to conduct an effective strategy for the protection of the Homeland. The incessant headline grabbing antics of the morons in the house and senate give the impression of a city bus with 10 passengers having an accident and the police finding 100 passengers on board when they arrive. "what about me" claim the "victims" I should get money too! I was near the accident when it happened. So goes the stories of the lowest rated congress of all times who want to be seen as being popular but have no idea how to govern. Most of those in the house of representatives seem to barely have the education of an 6th grader. Chertoffs job is to run a department not being cannon fodder for CNN and the travelling band of idiot congressmen. (and that's all these hearings and commissions are about.)

  Al Posted November 4, 2007 6:41 PM
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  What a loser this Chertoff is. It's tough to decide if it should be him or Petraeus next into the toilet. How many more months do we have a Republican president, again?

  chunt Posted September 18, 2007 4:19 PM
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  DHS pulled a lot of other agencies under their umbrella for the sake of Security and now has to answer for all of them. What does Chertoff expect? Duh!

  American Taxpayer Posted September 6, 2007 12:42 PM
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  DHS is not only swamped with answering to Congress, they don't have a clue what they are doing. How many of the staff with DHS have real private sector business experience?

  The lastest joke (the Social Security "no match" rule) is by far the most egregious of DHS's ignorance with immigration and private sector labor market issues. The only bigger idiots are the ones that went to federal court to get an injuction. Any illegal alien in the world, according to the rule, can come to the United States and work for at least 90 days before he or she would be forced to quit. It's almost like a illegal alien "don't ask, don't tell" until you get caught and then you get a letter giving you over three months to find another Social Security number to start work again. I couldn't have dreamed-up a better opportunity for undocumented workers and the fools went to court to kill it, remarkable!

  Chertoff should be demoted to DHS Asst Secretary for ICE and Julie Myers should take over DHS. That might work a whole lot better that skull head abandoning the ship he sank for the AG job.

  ICE/LA Posted September 5, 2007 8:41 PM
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  Something Chertoff and I agree on. Its making my head hurt.

  Don and US are right that Chertoff of all people can't walk away from Congressional oversight, but this is not what he is asking. He is seeking a rational reporting structure like most other departments have. It would be easier to ask what committee he does not report to then to name the ones he does report to. Too many in Congress view the two purposes of DHS as being first to provide pork funding to buy garbage trucks and police uniforms for their districts and second to get a tape of themselves on C-Span yelling at someone from DHS so they can appear tough on security without having to sit on the committee that has to find the funding and leadership to make it work.

  DHS will never get its act together until Congress gets its act together in speaking with one voice in structuring and assigning missions and resources to DHS. So far by virtue of the current dilution of both oversight of and support to DHS, Congress has effectively abrogated its proper role to Frances Townsend, the President's Homeland Security tsar. You know in the same White House that fought to keep DHS from being created. We all see how well that is working out for DHS.

  Jim Kaley Posted September 5, 2007 1:59 PM
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  Legitimate oversight is not the issue, but having to answer to every knee-jerk reaction to an article from a cub-reporter who didn't bother with the facts is an incredible drain. And an unnecessary one, too. These Congressmen should count to ten before blowing their stack over yellow journalism from their hometown. Does a terrorist or illegal alien have to run into their motorcade before they can smell the coffee?

  ICE/LA Posted September 5, 2007 1:32 PM
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  I said it before and I'll say it again! Management is spending way too much time answering to Congress, GAO and the IG and not enough time with the "troops". I know we work for the government and have to be held accountable for our expenditures but can't this process be automated? Why do our leaders have to spend so much time producing reports and being grilled by committees and subcommittes! Isn't this reporting system the real fraud, waste and abuse Congress intended to avoid in the first place?

  Phil Posted September 5, 2007 10:42 AM
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  It's called accountability for the executive branch, and it's enforcing constitutional checks and balances.

  Based on the current & past track record (Justice Department brouhaha, Halliburton fiasco, NSA wiretapping travesty, on & on), I don't feel that congressional oversight should be more lax. If anything, it should be pursued more vigorously.

  Is Mr. Chertoff's premise that his group is operating so flawlessly & efficiently thatit does not require oversight?

  US Posted September 5, 2007 10:18 AM
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  With all due respect for Mr. Chertoff, he may be spending time in the "hotseat", but that is what his job calls for. Secrecy has its place, but compliance with congressional oversight and responsibility to tax-payers is non-negotiable. When Department heads are no longer accountable to our elected representatives (which may require time and hardwork), we will have a fundamental problem.

  Don Posted September 5, 2007 9:41 AM