Klobuchar'sHomeland Security Plan Mirrors 9/11 Commission

Klobuchar's homeland security plan mirrors 9/11 commission

BRIAN BAKST
Associated Press

ST. PAUL - With terrorism fears again at the fore, U.S. Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar on Thursday described a plan for protecting the country that pulls heavily from recommendations by the independent 9/11 commission.

At the same time, the Democratic candidate said the Iraq war has "distracted" from the broader war on terrorism.

Her proposals come a week after British authorities disrupted an alleged plot to blow up as many as 10 U.S.-bound flights using liquid explosives.

A new national poll suggests that both Republicans and Democrats face rocky terrain when it comes to terrorism and the Iraq war.

The survey released Thursday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press said 35 percent of those polled are very concerned a Democratic takeover of Congress would weaken the fight against terrorism. Meanwhile, 46 percent said they are very worried continued Republican dominance would get the country involved in too many military missions.

Klobuchar, the chief prosecutor in Hennepin County, stressed the need for greater sharing of intelligence among federal spy agencies and for universal screening of cargo that enters through U.S. ports.

"If we can screen luggage in the airports with these people coming in and out there's got to be a way with new technology to look at these containers and get that done," she said.

She also called for more money to hire and equip police and fire officers who are first responders to emergencies.

Klobuchar estimated the cost of the homeland security proposal at $8 billion.

Asked how the Iraq war fits into the equation, Klobuchar said it has diverted the country's attention and resources from other threats like Iran and North Korea.

"When you spend over $300 billion in one country and you have the energy and the focus of your State Department and your Pentagon and your military on Iraq, I believe that it's distracted us from other things we should have been doing in the fight against terror," she said.

Klobuchar's Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, often links the Iraq war to the fight against terrorism. Kennedy described Klobuchar's homeland security plan as "sound-bite driven" and took issue with her characterization of the war as a distraction.

"It sends a terrible message to be anything but committed to winning the battle in Iraq," he said during a central Minnesota campaign swing.

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/state/15298358.htm