CNN 2010-01-01

KING: We welcome to "Larry King Live." Good to have him back, former Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge¹. He was the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003. He's President and CEO of Ridge Global and author of the book "The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege and How We Can Be Safe Again." Tom was telling me during the break kind of an ironic² story. Want to repeat it, Tom?

TOM RIDGE, FORMER SECRETARY OF HOMELAD SECURITY: Well, Larry, a friend of mine actually who worked with me in the White House called me on December 22nd and reminded me that this past year that December 22nd, 2001 is the Richard Reid attempt. Remember the shoe bomber³ and part of the explosive material he had tried to detonate at that time was the same material that this terrorist used as well. Interesting eight years – at last…

KING: What's your reaction to the president's statement today?

RIDGE: Well, I think he's spot on with regard to beefing up security protocols⁴ and the watch list. I think one of the more interesting observations that folks haven't made and I know Secretary Napolitano obviously clarified her statement today.

But I can tell you as first Secretary of Homeland Security, we were only a consumer of information and we really didn't generate it. You can only act on those things that you know, and the question remains⁵ in my mind what was the e-mail or what was the communication from the department of state -- from the counselor's office to the terrorist screening center.

The Department of Homeland Security doesn't run the TSA. That's the Department of Justice and the FBI. So there's a shared responsibility to keep us safe, but there's also shared accountability. When the president says we need to take a look at the watch list, I think he's on to something.

What is the mentality⁶, what's the culture, what are we going to do to make sure that more information, particularly those that kind of information that sends warning signals out, gets to the people who can act on it. Whether you're in the battlefield or in Iraq or Afghanistan or you're a screener in an airport, you need actionable information. And I'm not sure this information was in the hands of…

 

1 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

2 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

3 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

4 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。