By Scott Tibbs, November 17th, 2004
Kerik a good choice for Homeland Security
The man to the right, Bernard Kerik, is the new secretary of Homeland Security for the Bush administration. I first heard his name a year ago, when he gave the December commencement address at Michigan State University. He offered an impassioned defense of the war in Iraq while addressing other topics.
Kerik gave a very good speech, and I was impressed by the struggles he went through to get to where he is. He dropped out of high school, went to the Army, and then to the New York City Police Department. He transferred to the prison system before taking the office of Police Commissioner. He said in his speech a year ago that along the way, some people told him he would never make it; he would later find one of those people strung out on drugs. The irony of that story does not escape me, and his point to MSU graduates was this: do not listen to those who say "you can't". Kerik proved that you can.
Kerik's experience in helping Rudolph Giuliani tackle the crime problem in New York City will be a valuable asset in Homeland Security. Kerik served in Iraq last year, putting his life at risk, to train the Iraqi police force. President Bush made a good choice.
