Bush tries to ease fears about alert

WASHINGTON — A week after the nation was put on alert because of a "high risk of terrorist attacks," the Bush administration on Friday made a concerted effort to prevent widespread public panic by assuring Americans that the government is doing all it can to prevent an assault.

"We're working overtime to protect you. We're doing everything in our power to make sure the homeland is safe," President Bush said during an appearance at FBI headquarters, his top intelligence and law enforcement officials beside him.

Bush did not lower the "orange" threat level, but the White House sought to ease widespread anxiety by releasing a report, "The National Strategy for Combating Terrorism," outlining steps the administration has taken and plans to take to thwart and dismantle terrorist organizations.

Two other administration reports Friday detailed strategies for protecting the national infrastructure, including power plants, nuclear facilities and computer networks.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge joined Bush in trying to calm Americans, some of whom were buying duct tape and plastic sheeting as recommended by the government.

"There may, God forbid, come a time when the local authorities or national authorities or someone will tell you that you've got to use them," Ridge said. "But for the time being, we just don't want folks sealing up their doors or sealing up their windows."

Bush's appearance at the FBI was designed, in part, to promote the Terrorist Threat and Integration Center, which the administration is creating to try to ensure that information gathered by military and civilian intelligence agencies is reviewed in a coordinated fashion.

But Bush and Ridge emphasized a broader message: Various intelligence and law enforcement agencies within the federal government are working together more closely than they were before Sept. 11, 2001. The federal government also is working with state and local officials and with the governments of other nations to provide a more comprehensive security coverage, they said.

While conceding that "there is no such thing as a perfect security," Bush said, "The American people need to know that we're collecting a lot of information and we're going to share it in a way that enables us to do (the) jobs that you expect us to do."

It's been a week since the government raised the threat level to "orange," or "high risk of terrorist attacks," the second most serious level and an indication that the government had received intelligence information of the increased likelihood of a terrorist threat.