Bush: Terrorists May Attack During Transition

by Jason Ditz, November 06, 2008

President Bush has vowed to make an “unprecedented effort” to help with the transition to an Obama Administration. But as the outgoing and incoming administrations prepare for as-orderly-as-possible a handover of America’s assorted wars and other foreign policy challenges, Bush warns that he sees a golden opportunity for a terrorist attack.

In a speech at the White House, he said “we’re in a struggle against violent extremists determined to attack us, and they would like nothing more than to exploit this period of change to harm the American people.”

The outgoing President urged employees to “conduct yourselves with the decency and professionalism that you have shown throughout my time in office,” while using the remaining 75 days to work on the transition. DHS undersecretary Elaine Duke is reportedly also developing a “transition and succession plan,” while warning that “the terrorists perceive government transitions to be periods of increased vulnerability.”

Obama will also face challenges as the military eyes a $57 billion spending hike for the 2010 military budget. Analyst Loren B. Thompson says “if Obama says no, he will be off to a bad start with the military.”