Nov. 19 - Frances Fragos Townsend, who announced yesterday that she is leaving her job as White House homeland security adviser, said the United States must be on guard against the threat of a terrorist attack tied to next year's elections.
Before she leaves the Bush administration in early 2008, Townsend said she wants to make sure that plans are in place to head off any potential terrorist threat before or after the elections for president and Congress and to ensure that there is "no lag in information sharing" between the Bush administration and the next occupant of the White House.
"We know that Al Qaeda" tends to view elections "as a period of vulnerability," Townsend, 45, said in an interview. "I don't know if there will be a particular threat, but we can't ignore what we have already seen."
Townsend, Bush's homeland security adviser since 2003, said Al Qaeda has established a pattern in previous attacks against US allies. Members of the terrorist network carried out bombings in Madrid and Glasgow when Spain and Britain were facing elections and a transfer of power.
Bush hasn't named a replacement for Townsend. Earlier yesterday Bush said in a statement that she "has played an integral role in the formation of key strategies and policies my administration has used to combat terror and protect Americans."
Townsend said she plans to pursue a job in the private sector because many of the skills she has developed in government can be applied to protecting private companies. "I assess vulnerability and gaps, and assess how to minimize consequences of events," she said.
Bush leaves office in January 2009, and a trend has been seen of longtime aides departing.
