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[overlandsailor]

Rumor has it (well, it's all but confirmed now though) that Bernard Kerik, former police commissioner of NYC will succeed Ridge as Homeland Security Chief.

Joe over at The Moderate Voice Blog has the story.

Bush To Pick NYC's Former Cop As The New Tom Ridge
It looks as if President George Bush is poised to make a solid selection as the new Homeland Security chief -- New York City's Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik.

He'll become The New Tom Ridge (but can he fill Ridge's impeccable huge suit, can his face TOTALLY fill the screen like Ridge's?) And although like anyone in public life he surely has some ill-advised statements that may come back to haunt him, overall he's an impressive choice.

He was the Police Commissioner of NYC for 16 months and lead extremely well during the 9/11 attack. Prior to that he was the City Corrections Commissioner and after he left the Police Commissioner post he went to Work in Iraq to train the Iraqi police force.

He seems to be a pretty solid choice to me.

He also seems to have at least a bit of Bi-Partisan support:

New York Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer issued a statement of support for Kerik, whose position must be confirmed by the Senate.

"Coming from New York, Bernie Kerik knows the great needs and challenges this country faces in homeland security. He has a strong law enforcement background and I believe will do an excellent job in fighting for the resources and focus that homeland security needs and deserves in our post-9/11 world," Schumer said.

"He replaced the merit system with his own favoritism system," said another. Kerik has been lauded for the plunge in both inmate violence and staff overtime during his tenure. But subsequent investigations have turned up several situations that happened under the combined watch of Kerik and his hand-picked successor, William Fraser, that rank-and-file naysayers consider stains on his legacy.

Ah, but there is more:

Critics of Bernard Kerik -- and there still are a number in city law enforcement circles -- said privately Thursday that any valid U.S. Senate confirmation process would have to turn an especially skeptical eye on his legacy here as top jail official until 2000.

One non-fan, a Correction Department veteran, sarcastically asked if former three-star chief Anthony Serra, who rose up the ranks during Kerik's tenure but is now under indictment for misusing public resources, would become commerce secretary.

Source (NY NewsDay)

I think he is an excellent choice.


So,

Bernard Kerik, Good or Bad Choice?

This post has been edited by overlandsailor: Dec 3 2004, 04:20 AM