Who knew colors could be so political?

Former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge knew.

Yesterday, the media reported that former (and first) Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, has a new book coming out where he claims that:  “he was pressured by top advisers to President George W. Bush to raise the national threat level just before the 2004 election in what he suspected was an effort to influence the vote.” 

The New York Times reports that while Mr. Ridge “has no evidence that politics motivated the discussion”, this spring the Obama administration announced that the Department of Homeland Security would look into the effectiveness of the color-coded terrorist alert system. This review of the system was corroborated by Maine Senator Susan Collins, who sits on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, and has also spoken out in favor of a reconsideration of the terror alert system. 

Current Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced in late July that:

"I recently appointed a task force to review our existing color- coded threat system," Napolitano said. "That review is under way, and I mention it only to say that if a better, more effective system can be found, that will be used instead of the current color-coded one, just to see how -- the federal government and DHS rethinking what it needs to provide active information to individuals, to businesses, to employers." 

Review of the color-coded terror alert system is important to both evaluate its effectiveness, but also to eliminate its susceptibility to politicization and exploitation. Our national security is far too important to be exploited for political gain. The public has a right to be safe and free and properly informed, and a review of the color-coded terror alert system is a step in the right direction.