Are We Next?

UPDATE II: Ian and Sean-Paul have more on the Israeli – Arab escalation. Add your own in the comments below.

UPDATE: Re: Israel, Steve Clemons offers something interesting that is worth a read. Rumor is Condi was told to “back off” on it. To add… Clemons did not dismiss the claim that Iran is involved with all this, talking on Seder's show on Air America. He talked about the potential of a “terrorist superhighway,” in a worst case scenario. It was a bleak assessment of what's going on, which is full out escalation.

The lessons for us in the tragic
India bombings on Tuesday are vast. But it's hard for me to focus on them
because the contagion of catastrophes currently gripping our national security
are close to overwhelming. The massive amount of material to read in order to
keep up is enough to make you dizzy. Iraq alone concentrates the mind, but then
we had Israel escalating the Middle East violence, because they know President
Bush will not lift a finger to reign them in. That said, you have to wonder
when we'll be hit. If we are we must all remember on whose watch we were left
vulnerable.

It's been yada-yada-yada since 9/11.

I'm sick to death of saying it. During the 2004 campaign, I reiterated Kerry's
plea for more homeland security, especially where our ports, nuclear and chemical
plants were concerned, but also our railway and subway systems. Hey, but I've
lived in New York City so I know what an attack would look like. Are we ignoring
the threat possibility because most of the country lives in suburbia? I can't
even imagine… yeah, I can. The American people can't be that out of touch
can they?

The train system of the eastern United States is an open invitation to terrorists.
Couple that with the northern border and you've got a prescription for KABOOM.
It's not like Bush and his administration haven't been warned. The 9/11 Commission
laid it out. Bush and the Republican Congress continues to blithely ignore it.

India's bombing could have happened for a variety of reasons, including internal
politics related to Muslims in that country. Some are blaming the attacks on
al Qaeda, including Pakistani elements. They've got people in custody, naming two suspects.

Senator Boxer talked about it yesterday on “Countdown,” saying Democrats
have been voted down yet again on adding
more homeland security funds for our railways and subways. But Democrats are in the minority, so here we sit with our assets exposed.

The President's Record on Transportation Security Since the attacks on September 11th, the President has failed to create a national transportation security plan and has called for cuts in transit and rail funding. The 9/11 intelligence reform legislation directed the Department of Homeland Security to create a national strategy for transportation security by April 1. This plan would identify national transportation assets, set risk-based priorities for their protection, assign responsibilities for their protection, and recommend appropriate levels and sources of funding for these efforts. But the Administration has failed to meet its deadline twice, and America still lacks a comprehensive transit security plan. The President's fiscal year 2006 budget proposed the elimination of dedicated funding for transit and rail security grants and force rail and transit systems to compete for funds with ports and other transportation sectors — under the current system, transportation sectors receive dedicated funding. Ground transit alone is estimated to need approximately $6 billion in security investments, far more than the $150 million requested in the president's budget.

Here's the Democratic layout of where we now stand on transportation
security.

Like with Iraq, the Middle East, Iran, North Korea and the rest of the U.S. national security, conservatives have no plan at all.