Posted on 12/07/2004 9:50:30 PM PST by CaptIsaacDavis
President Bush’s nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security, Bernard Kerik, has done a tremendous job in spinning a life grounded in mediocrity and elevated through cronyism, into the PR illusion of a heroic march for "security." The following is intended only as a starting point and resource for those curious about the qualifications of Mr. Kerik.
Courting Gay Interest Groups. Kerik, as New York City police commissioner, courted gay and lesbian groups (for example, attending a gay community reception for him at a club called "G") and vowed to review the department’s connections to the Boy Scouts in comments made to Lesbian & Gay New York Online (LGNY). See http://www.homestead.com/lesbiansRus/files/schools_move_against_anti.htm.
Early Background. According to his biography, Mr. Kerik was born the illegitimate son of a prostitute who was murdered in his youth, was a high school dropout (now with a GED), served a brief stint in the military as a soldier in Korea (where he reportedly fathered an illegitimate child), and then became a police officer in New York and, in 1994, the head of the "Investigations" unit for the prisons in New York City (1995-1998) – rising thereafter to head the prisons for the city.
Cronyism. Kerik’s career was launched largely because he made the fateful choice in 1993 to become the veritable campaign chauffeur for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He had previously served for years as a "bodyguard" in Saudi Arabia (an odd move in retrospect). His "career" was launched with an appointment to head the "investigations" unit of the Department of Correction in New York City (focused on so-called gang "intelligence" and not the auditing of the rampant corruption and abuses by staff). After 9/11, both Giuliani and Kerik walked away and quickly profited from the turn of events. Kerik joined Giuliani Partners LLC (and, according to his Taser bio, also became CEO of "Giuliani-Kerik LLC"). http://www.macreport.net/featured/TASR/board.asp#BBK Kerik earned his new-found fortune by being appointed to the board of Taser International, which manufactures stun guns, and received options that he is reported to have quickly exercised to reap a $2.5MM+ windfall. http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/03/technology/taser/ While hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers (and workers from CT and NJ) were laid off or had business wrecked by 9/11 (many of which never received a dime of help from anyone, despite all the government programs), Mr. Kerik has profited quite handsomely from his role as police commissioner. This is all the more ironic in light of criticism he has received concerning his "leadership" and "management skills" during the crisis.
Questionable "leadership" skills. Evidence of a chaotic police command structure during the 9/11 attack prompted Reagan-era Secretary of the Navy John Lehman to direct some pointed criticism at Mr. Kerik. It was Lehman, who as part of the 9/11 commission, criticized Kerik (and a fire chief jointly) for leadership skills as "not worthy of the Boy Scouts" (also a veiled reference to the scandal over New York City’s and Kerik’s attitudes towards the Scouts). (Quoted at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ID/6647778).
Pro-Israel. On an oddly-timed trip to Israel only a little more than a week before 9/11, he spoke on the subject of terrorism with Public Security Minister Uzi Landau and Police Chief Shlomo Aharonishki and sought to, in Kerik’s words reported publicly:"demonstrate my deep solidarity with the State of Israel." (http://www.ourjerusalem.com/news/story/news20010902.html). The trip was "oddly-timed" because sometime that summer it was hurriedly pushed up to around Labor Day after originally being scheduled for early October (which might have significance in light of various reports of uncertain accuracy about an Israeli warning about the looming attack and/or activities just before 9/11 in the city’s emergency command center in WTC Tower 7 [movements of equipment in particular]).
Covers up police abuses. Mr. Kerik had originally been brought in to serve as Police Commissioner from the NYC Department of Correction largely because of pressure on Giuliani for someone to take the fall for the slaughter of Amadou Diallo. That is, by a twist of fate, had Diallo not been shot Kerik would still be languishing in the Department of Correction. The political buck for the abuse of police powers stopped on the desk of Giulani’s crony, Howard Safir, in 2000, who resigned as Police Commissioner after calls for the same had reached a fever pitch. Kerik spent the early part of 2001 covering his flanks within the ranks of the NYPD: that April he shocked the conscience of much of the nation by refusing to fire or even discipline the cops who shot Diallo.
Scandals. His hand-picked Deputy Commissioner at the NYC DoC is now reported to be serving a prison term for looting a Correction Foundation of funds. Later, as Police Commissioner, the City’s Conflicts of Interest Board levied a fine on him of $2,500 for using police officers to do research for his 2001 book The Lost Son (which was published by Judith Regan).
Chimera of "Success" in Iraq. Kerik’s most recent claim to fame was a very short stint in Iraq in 2003, ostensibly to assist Paul Bremer stop the looting. That they did – after almost everything that was lootable had been looted. Kerik’s tenure in Iraq was generally unremarkable, except for his marginal success in equipping Iraqi police units and his reported role in bringing in the American practice of paying for tips. He was apparently picked for the task because of his prior experience spending four years in Saudi Arabia, although his Arabic skills are reportedly very weak despite four years of "immersion." Even though he had served as head of New York’s prisons, it is not clear from the press coverage whether he had any role in organizing and setting up prison facilities like Abu Ghuraib. What has been reported is that his involvement with the Iraqi police reconstruction was a small part of what has become an unmitigated disaster. Many thousands of insurgents and "bad people" (to quote a police chief in Baghdad) infiltrated police ranks in the mad rush in mid-2003 (under Kerik) to scale up the force, and whole units have since either defected to join the insurgency of melted away, while corruption, incompetence, and apathy remain rampant and endemic. For the quote and some details on this Iraq angle see http://www.freep.com/news/nw/iraq12_20030912.htm
Politician in Bureaucrat’s Clothing. Apart from Kerik’s Orwellian comments about how any criticism at all is akin to aiding enemies (of his supreme leader of the moment, not of America), he became infamous for his remark in April 2004 to the New York Daily News that "if you put Sen. Kerry in the White House, I think you are going to see that happen." "That" = "another terrorist attack." Not "could" or "might," but "are." The report was of a statement about the prospects of "another terrorist attack," about which Kerik is quoted as saying:" If you put Sen. Kerry in the White House, I think you are going to see that happen ... and I don’t want to see another Sept. 11." http://www.nydailynews.com/04-22-2004/news/politics/story/186253p-161336c.html
Comment on Border Security. What border security experience? He’s from New York City – that gaping hole in our border armor that no one in the NYPD has taken serious measures to close in decades. The NYPD polices a territory in which there are as many as 2 million invaders (illegals) on a given day – at least half of them living and working in "plain view."
Who is after his scalp? This is getting nuts . . .
I got this far and two things occurred to me: 1) I'll be the author wouldn't call his mother a whore to his face; 2)What an American success story - rises from worse than humble beginnings to be a cabinet member.
The borking of Kerik continues.
Maybe being a NY guy he is getting his orders from the UN.
So Bernie Kerik has a checkered past. WOW. Nothing in this article that the vetting process didn't reveal about Kerik to the feds doing the background check. Bernie Kerik will do a good job as Secretary of DHS for PresBush and the USA.
Kerik isn't anti-gay ---> Kerik is obviously incompetent</P>The Xian right really needs to take a chill pill.
I wish Tom Ridge got this level of critical coverage back in '02. Ridge compiled a lefish voting record while in the House, was nothing special as governor, and hadn't the slightest experience in any "security" related field. Shoot, I would've liked Rudy or Frank Keating or maybe even Jim Webb. But Bernie'll do.
Conservatives from the New York metro area who know about Kerik and Giuliani all too well...as Liberals wearing Republican clothes. It never ceases to amaze how many people seem to think that anyone who ever worked in a policeman's uniform or as a prosecutor is somehow ipso facto a true Republican at heart. Maybe in "Red" America, but not in New York City -- not for the last 30 years.
The author clearly has an axe to grind against Kerik, but there are so many agendas here that I have a hard time parsing out exactly WHY. He seems to have a problem with him over some gay issues--what this has to do with homeland security I have no idea. Then there's the Israel thing...possibly some antisemitism at work here? He may have a point on immigration, but it's lost in the mishmash.
I guess it's inevitable in the wake of the ovewhelming Republican victory that some squabbling would break out on the right. I just didn't think it would start so soon.
On a related note, check out the editorial line coming out of the generally "conservative" New York Post...viciously anti-Kerik in yesterday's issue (covering the payday from Taser).
JMO, but I think the Left inherantly senses Kerik could be destined for a elected office in future. Vice maybe? At very least Senator or Gov.
Not stating an opinion either way whether he'd make a good selection for any of these offices, just that they recognize his potential to be a serious threat to them in future. So begin their attempts to destroy his viability.
It's a good test for Kerik. If he performs well and survives the MSM assault, his future in politics could be a bright one.
It's really no different than the treatment they are giving Thomas and Rice, substracting the racial bigotry being directed at the latter two. Ridge was never subjected to this level of critisism, unfortunately. They never sized him as a threat to their power. It's good for us that they consider kerik worthy of concentrated attack.
I'm not familiar with the New Republican Archive - I don't know if it's "on the right" or not. I can believe that Kerik isn't a conservative like I'm a conservative. He's from NYC, and I am certain there are no conservatives there who are as conservative as some of our Democrats here. Nonetheless, I think Kerik is a good pick. The left is going after him hard, and that probably means he's a really good pick.
Hey Mike! I keep running into you in the middle of the night on Tuesdays. Must be your up hours over there.
It's interesting to see geographical differences shaping perceptions. The New York Post, a generally conservative mag, just published yesterday an absolutely vicious attack on him and his payday from Taser. There is a lot of skepticism and sniping coming from local conservative leaning papers from New Hampshire down to New Jersey (that is, from conservatives who know the Giuliani/Kerik Liberalism in Republican clothes, all too well, and just don't trust these guys).
yeah its daytime over here in Iraq...its 926AM.....
nothing else to do...my systems are working perfectly right now :)
while I wouldnt trust them for any elected office, they will be at the mercy of the President here.
I think that as a former cop, he might be surprising to some...
read later bump
You've got an axe, too, and seem to be eager to read more into it than is evident. The note I caught was his readiness to support New York City's move to cut ties to the Boy Scouts -- it was a big mess before 9/11 took it off the headlines in the region (that's the group who were founded to be part of the culture of "homeland security" and who have numerous troops who benefit from a host of programs run with the help of DHS subsidiary agencies). That's also what former Navy Sec. Lehman seemed to be alluding to at the time with his snipe about leadership skills not even rising the level of the Boy Scouts.
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