Rand Beers quit his job as special assistant to the president for combating terrorism eight weeks ago. On Monday, in a provocative interview with the Post, the veteran Washington bureaucrat ? who served on the National Security Council under four presidents ? lashed out at the administration's handling of the war on terrorism and homeland security.
Beers charged the administration "wasn't matching its deeds to its words in the war on terrorism. They're making us less secure, not more secure. ? The longer I sat and watched, the more concerned I became, until I got up and walked out."
He said the administration was "underestimating the enemy" and had failed to address the root causes of terrorism. "The difficult, long-term issues both at home and abroad have been avoided, neglected or shortchanged and generally underfunded," Beers told the newspaper.
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While he has worked for three Republican presidents, Beers is a registered Democrat. He says he joined the Kerry campaign because he decided the Massachusetts senator offered the greatest expertise in foreign affairs and security issues of the presidential candidates.
He says he "never felt so strongly about something in my life" as he did that the Bush administration's policies need to be changed.
On other issues, Beers told the Post the U.S. had abandoned the war in Afghanistan without destroying al Qaeda, only dispersing terrorists around the country. "Terrorists move around the country with ease. We don't even know what's going on. Osama bin Laden could be almost anywhere in Afghanistan," he said.