Project Seahawk is crucial to ensure safe ports, not just in Charleston but across the U.S. coast, but it's not nearly enough.

So said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., who spoke about the Charleston Harbor Operation Center (known as Project Seahawk), port security, the war in Iraq, and his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination during a visit to Charleston on Wednesday.

Biden said the best way to improve port security is to inspect every shipping container before it's loaded. Hong Kong's port is doing this already, using gamma ray and radiation technology. All ports worldwide should do the same, and it's feasible if the $15-per-container cost is shared, he said.

The next terrorist attack is most likely going to be executed by delivering a dirty bomb or homemade nuclear weapon through a shipping port or in a backpack across national borders, Biden said, citing the Pentagon's assessment. And yet President Bush is spending about $6 billion a year on an anti-ballistic missile system - the least likely threat.

"The administration's priorities have been misplaced," he said.

Biden said he hopes the global network of ports can implement a tracking system similar to those used by companies such as Federal Express or UPS. As ports adopt a hub-and-spoke method for delivering containers and ship routing becomes more complex, the need to inspect every container at the point of origin becomes more urgent, he said.

The Senate approved a budget amendment Monday which restored $27 million earmarked for the counterterrorism program.

"It would be an absolute sin to unravel what's been done here," Biden said. He wants to replicate the project at other U.S. ports.

Biden said he introduced a bill that would facilitate the implementation of all of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations at a cost of $42 billion.

Forgoing just one year of President Bush's tax cuts for those earning more than $1 million a year would free up $43 billion, he said.

But homeland security was only one reason for Biden's visit.

"I'm looking for the nomination," he said. "I think South Carolina will determine the next (Democratic) candidate."

Winning here depends on "understanding the complexities" of states with a diverse racial and economic makeup, he said.

Of course, winning will depend in part on whether enough voters like what he has to say about Iraq. Biden said he's worried that a civil war could spark a regional war, and he hopes the current civil unrest can be contained. He noted that, instead of adjusting its strategy, the Bush administration seems to be pursuing it blindly.

Three new U.S. military bases in Iraq, replete with a Burger King and Pizza Hut, indicate an intention to remain in the country for years, he said, and it appears the administration could be setting the stage for the next conflict: war with Iran.

Reach Adam Parker at 745-5860 or aparker@postandcourier.com.