Ellis Henican
NY Newsday
I tried to save the president from all this embarrassment. Believe me, I tried.I got started a full nine days ago, even before George W. Bush had formally nominated Bernie Kerik as head of Homeland Security for the whole United States. I warned the president and his people in no uncertain terms.Here's what I wrote about the former New York police commissioner in the Newsday for Dec. 3:
"He's a personal and professional time bomb the Bushies will learn to regret. Don't say I didn't warn you, guys!"Could I have been any plainer than that? So now, I'm trying to think of a nice way to put this. How 'bout:Tick, tick, tick ... KA-BOOM!
Accurately and vividly, I sounded my alarm about this "hard-charging, thick-necked, shaved-head lightweight" and his relentless career climb.Kerik was, I wrote in that first column and a second one, a "campaign bodyguard to Rudy Giuliani," an "errand boy for the Saudi royal family," an "energetic exploiter of Sept. 11th tragedy" and a "tough-talking publicity-hound vowing to bring law and order to Iraq -- then hightailing it out of there after a disastrous 14 weeks, leaving the place far less safe than he found it."
Too bad the people in the White House didn't pay attention when it could have helped them. Too bad the members of the Senate, including the two from New York, also turned away.Everyone in Washington was saying Kerik was the guy for Homeland Security. Hero of 9/11. Slasher of crime in New York City. A man who could really get things done. You have to figure all of them were blinded by the strong endorsement from Giuliani, Kerik's current business partner and longtime after-hours pal. And now look at the mess they're cleaning up.
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/newyork/columnists/ny-hen12,0,4812135.column?coll=ny-ny-columnists