Governor investigates complaint over handling of Homeland Security

Governor Tom Vilsack says he’s investigating a complaint about the way federal officials have handled homeland security matters in Iowa. Vilsack says “perhaps President Bush and Vice President Cheney have not focused the attention and the resources on the war on terror in the way they should have in securing the homeland.” Vilsack says Iowa had to fight hard for money from the feds to plan to secure the nation’s food supply, a project Vilsack says should have been handled “more aggressively” by the Bush Administration. But Vilsack isn’t forthcoming with specific allegations. Vilsack says he knows “of some specific situations that at the appropriate time” he will discuss publicly. Vilsack says his revelations will come within the week. Vilsack made his comments yesterday afternoon during a news conference at the Iowa Democratic Party’s headquarters as ads for John Kerry’s presidential campaign were unveiled to Iowa reporters. As he’s done for weeks, Vilsack side-stepped questions about his own chances of becoming Kerry’s runningmate. Vilsack says the Kerry campaign has “surrogates” in the 19 states in which the ads will air to speak to the media, so Vilsack says “it makes sense that the governor (of Iowa) would be asked to do that.”