Tom Ridge formally hands to Congress plans for creating Homeland Department.

WASHINGTON, June 18 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - U.S. President George W. Bush's homeland security advisor Tuesday handed the President's blueprint for a new Homeland Security Department over to lawmakers, some of whom hope to approve the legislation on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks. 

"All of us have been given an awesome responsibility - the responsibility to protect Americans and the American way of life," Homeland Security Advisor Tom Ridge said as he handed lawmakers copies of the proposal. 

"As history has shown, when the Congress of the United States and the President of the United States unite, no challenge is too great, no cause is out of reach, no dream is impossible, whether it's winning a world war, a Cold War or the war on terrorism," said Ridge, flanked by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and other leaders, news agencies reported. 

Bush, stung by criticism that his government mishandled clues to the September 11 strikes that killed some 3,000 people, proposed the creation of the new Cabinet-level department to oversee intelligence on terrorism and marshal efforts to prevent future attacks. 

Bush, for his part, planned to meet later Tuesday at the White House with congressional leaders as aides fanned out across the Capitol to press for support, reports news agencies. 

Described as the biggest change in the U.S. federal government since the Cold War, the future Department of Homeland Security would employ some 170,000 people and command an annual budget of $37 billion, drawing its resources from roughly 100 government agencies and eight departments. 

Ridge said the department would rest on four "main pillars": research and development; weapons of mass destruction countermeasures, intelligence analysis integration and infrastructure protection; border security; and domestic preparedness and response. 

He also underscored the potential for public-private sector partnerships to achieve those goals. 

"As much as 80 to 90 percent of the critical infrastructure in this country is owned by the private sector, and they want to help and just need a partner who will find ways to see to it that these partnerships are created," he said. 

Accompanying legislative leaders threw their support behind the creation of the new super agency, but emphasized they would not rush to pass any laws without careful consideration. 

Daschle added it would take "strong and real bipartisanship" to get the bill passed, but added a precautionary note saying that the creation of the new department by itself "doesn't do the job" and that Congress and the administration will have to do much more to safeguard Americans at home, news agencies reported. 

"This is a means to that end - not the end," he said. 

"This is not a Republican issue. This is not a Democrat issue. This is an American issue," chimed in Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott.  

Despite the show of bipartisan unity, lawmakers have admitted that trying to get legislation passed will be a struggle, as the new agency will cut into many of their committee jurisdictions. 

"We're not going to put haste in the way of doing this right," Hastert cautioned. 

Lawmakers have also raised concerns around how enhanced border security would affect commercial interaction, and how intelligence is gathered and processed, particularly since neither the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) nor the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have been pegged to be folded into the department. 

The legislation calls for little change in the FBI and CIA, requiring only that the two agencies submit intelligence information to the new department for analysis, reports news agencies. 

Asked if he thought the two intelligence agencies could be made part of the Homeland Security Department given the rush to get legislation passed, Hastert said: "We want to wait and see the recommendations of our intelligence committees and what they're looking at. And, you know, we'll consider this as the bill goes forward." 

But the administration wants to keep the FBI within the Justice Department. 

Ridge, in a reversal from the White House's initial position, has said he will testify before Congress if asked, reports CNN. Ridge is expected to be questioned by lawmakers on why Bush did not include the FBI and CIA in his proposed new department. 

In a preview of the argument to come, homeland security office spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Monday, "The president was not looking to create a mammoth internal security division.” 

A joint House-Senate Intelligence committee is currently investigating the government's intelligence agencies alleged mishandling of clues that might have foiled the September 11 hijacker attacks by the al-Qaeda network.

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