At least we stopped Cat Stevens from getting in

The Bush administration has had almost three years to make things safer for America. So far, it looks like they have learned nothing:

Three years after the failure of federal security agencies to coordinate their efforts contributed to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Department of Homeland Security has failed in its effort to create a single, comprehensive "watch list" of suspected terrorists, according to a government report released yesterday.

"DHS is not fulfilling its responsibility under the Homeland Security Act," said Clark Kent Ervin, inspector general of the Homeland Security Department, whose office conducted the study.

The report identified lack of leadership by the Department of Homeland Security and a continuing failure of the government's intelligence agencies to coordinate information as the primary causes of the department's failure to produce a comprehensive terrorist watch list.

The failure of the intelligence and security agencies to cooperate has been widely cited as a major contributing factor in the Sept. 11 attacks. Without a central database containing the latest information about possible terrorists, border guards and other security personnel are hard-pressed to do their jobs, experts agree.

Saying the US is safer, Mr. President, does not make it so. You have to take some action and lead the more mundane fronts on the war on terror. Good does not come solely from blowing things up halfway around the world, alright?

When I get this tired, all I can do is shake my head in amazement. Safer, indeed.