Security-Industrial Complex

Dwight Eisenhower warned us 45 years ago about the dangers of the military-industrial complex. In "Homeland Security Inc.," Eric Lipton of The New York Times shows just how prescient Ike was. The two-part series reports that at least 90 former officials hired after the 2001 terrorist attacks to work in the Department of Homeland Security or the White House Office of Homeland Security now work for companies that sell security products. In Sunday's first part, Lipton describes how these former government workers help their firms win lucrative contracts to sell their wares to the agencies they once helped direct. In today's second part, Lipton shows how many of these former government officials testify before Congress or appear in the media as think tank and academic experts while keeping close financial ties to security companies. Both stories are filled with strong examples.