Scary Thoughts

It occurs to me to say something I have not heard before. It came to my mind this afternoon after reading Senator Kit Bond's letter to the editor in the New York Times. Bond is vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

In it, he criticizes the Democrat "twist" on the National Intelligence Estimate that says Al Qaeda is as strong as ever.

The Senator writes that "our efforts to combat terrorism worldwide have prevented Al Qaeda from attacking the US since Sept. 11, 2001." Okay, I know this is Republican spin and to be expected. But I'm starting to think folks like Bond actually believe it.

He also writes that the US is safer now in part because "other terrorist groups now perceive the US as a harder target to strike."

So what I want to say is that the terrorists' leaders are smarter than our own. Not an original thought, but a very scary one and perhaps why it isn't spelled out too often. It may be why I don't like to dwell on it too much myself. But if Congressional leaders don't get it, what hope is there?

History shows that the terrorists take their time, seal off leaks, test their plans, wait for the right moment like when the Dow is at an all time high and allow us to become lulled or fooled into complacency before they strike. When they strike, they strike big and only exploit our gaping weaknesses. Weaknesses that aren't bolstered very much to this day, e.g., cargo shipments, nuclear and chemical sites and interstate and international channels of commerce. In fact, our weaknesses may have only grown, e.g., depleted National Guard and depleted FEMA which are nothing compared to our depleted sense of national unity.