The Democratic candidates on security

Feb 13, 2004 12:00 PM

Homeland security is one of the hottest topics in the campaign for the 2004 Democratic nomination for president. Here are some words from a few of the hopefuls, in response to The Associated Press' question: "do you think the color-coded terrorist warning system is effective?"
* Senator John Kerry: "When the security threat is raised, communities -- already strapped for cash -- have to spend additional resources. I have proposed to create an 'Orange Alert Fund' to reimburse communities for some of the additional costs."
* Sen. John Edwards: "It is not nearly as effective as it should be. The system still does not grade warnings for different parts of the country -- when New York, for example, may face different threats than Nebraska. It does not do enough to tailor different messages for police officers, health officials, and the general public, which face different concerns."
* Wesley Clark: "The color-coded system can only be effective if it is integrated into a broader, more aggressive strategy to protect the Homeland and a commitment to invest in the equipment and human resources necessary to do it."
* Howard Dean: "We need to create a threat advisory system that actually makes Americans safer, by linking threat advisories to specific geographic areas and industries wherever possible, and by educating Americans as to what these advisories mean."

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