Ridge can expect a tough road ahead

Following President Bush's Thursday announcement that Gov. Tom Ridge will become the new head of the Office of Homeland Security, political science experts are already forecasting that the governor will encounter some opposition from American citizens.

Bush announced that Ridge would head the new cabinet-level office in his address to a joint session of Congress. Ridge will depart as Pennsylvania's governor Oct. 5, and Lt. Gov. Mark Schweiker will fill the vacancy.

And when he reaches Washington, Ridge may face hostility as the Sept. 11 attacks fade from memory and citizens try to resume daily life without a high degree of focus on security.

"There's no doubt that there's much more public support for security measures that might previously have been seen as an invasion of basic liberties before the attack," Political Science Professor Rogers Smith said. "We're willing to accept more of that now than we were before the Tuesday attacks, but there's already controversy, and that's likely to increase."

Political Science Department Chairman Jack Nagel said such resistance would increase over time.

"If we don't have renewed terrorist attacks, even this horrible memory will fade, and all [Americans] will be aware of are the delays and the surveillance," Nagel said.

The new office will oversee and coordinate the activities of several federal agencies in an effort to prevent future acts of terrorism. According to Smith, Ridge will need to reach beyond American borders to complete the task.

"There was some indication [Thursday] that this would involve not just a wide variety of domestic scrutiny, but also some effort to work overseas," Smith said.

Political Science Professor Henry Teune also speculated that the new office may even involve direct control of at least some offices of the FBI.

"It looks like he's going to be the domestic security czar," Teune said. "That could go as far as him controlling the FBI. He may not get all of the FBI, but maybe certain offices of the FBI."

In addition, government organizations such as the FBI, the CIA and National Security Agency have often received criticism for not presenting a well-coordinated front. Nagel said that having Ridge working with all three branches will eliminate some of this problem.

"By having someone sit over [the CIA and domestic agencies] in this function, it's possible that he could break down some of those lines," Nagel said.

However, Nagel disagreed with Teune's view that the position may entail actual involvement in the internal workings of agencies like the FBI.

"I don't think he can expect to get down into the guts of these agencies and improve them," Nagel said. "That's their job."

With Ridge about to leave Harrisburg to help coordinate a national terrorism defense, many are wondering what his vacancy could mean for Pennsylvania. For example, the governor is in the middle of negotiations with Philadelphia over a strategy for helping the city's ailing school system, which currently has a budget deficit of $216 million.

The deadline for reaching an agreement is Oct. 29, but this date may have to be pushed back.

"We understand that there may need to be some reasonable delay, but it would not be an open-ended delay, because the issues are just too important," City Education Secretary Debra Kahn said.

Kahn said that city officials will soon meet with Schweiker to discuss how to proceed.

"The short answer is we don't know [what Ridge's resignation will mean for Philadelphia] yet, but we hope that the process that we're involved in will continue on track," Kahn said. "The lieutenant governor has at least a basic understanding of the issues."

And Christy Young, spokeswoman for Ridge, soothed fears of a bumpy transition.

"The number one concern of the state of Pennsylvania is that there is a smooth transfer of power," Young said.

But according to Smith, it is very likely that Ridge's absence will mean that change will be slower in coming than it would have been.

"There's a real possibility that without him pushing for change, there will be less change than there would have been," Smith said.

Ridge's moderate position, military experience and friendship with Bush helped to make him an attractive candidate for the job. Although he was passed over for a cabinet-level position when Bush first took office, Smith said that Bush has a great amount of confidence in Ridge.

"He is someone who, first of all, President Bush trusts with an important job," Smith said. "He is not likely to draw fire for being seen as a right-wing authoritarian on the one hand, nor is he likely to be seen as someone who will not do the job well on the other."

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