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       Lee H. Hamilton

      SINCE the September 11 attacks, the United States government has undergone dramatic reforms. Both during and after my tenure as vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission, I witnessed striking changes, ranging from the restructuring of our intelligence agencies to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

      These changes, despite some missteps, have generated genuine progress toward better securing the United States. Still, making our homeland more secure is a work in progress. The FBI has made counterterrorism a top priority, fundamentally changing the law enforcement culture and directive of the bureau. An integrated terrorist watch is now complete. Under a new Transportation Security Administration, airline security is tighter. US-VISIT helps ensure that people crossing our borders are who they say they are, though immigration reform remains on the backburner. And Washington, along with state and local governments and the private sector, has invested billions of dollars in protecting our communities and securing critical infrastructure at the federal, state, and local levels.

      Notwithstanding these and other efforts, it was the unanimous view of the 9/11 Commission that the United States faced the real prospect of further attacks—a view every expert we consulted in the course of our work shared. Terrorists continue to plot and plan another attack, and in an open and democratic society, defending the country at all times and in all places is practically impossible. Above all, we must not become complacent.

      We have yet to endure another terrorist attack on American soil. There are many reasons for that: the weakening of Al Qaeda, financial sanctions, better intelligence, more secure borders, tougher law enforcement, and a host of other steps to better protect the American people. In no small measure, credit belongs to initiatives like the ones I have cited—and to public servants like Michael Chertoff.

      As head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, he led the investigation of the 9/11 attacks. In 2005 he gave up a lifetime federal judicial appointment on the Third Circuit to become the nation's second secretary of homeland security. There is always debate in Washington about what is the second toughest job in town. My candidate

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