"Meanwhile, it must stop issuing false assurances about the safety of the home front. (Or "the homeland" as we are now supposed to call it.) It is ridiculous to suggest, for example, that the anthrax assault may have come from some domestic disgruntled nut; a Timothy McVeigh with a germ laboratory. What are the odds that such a person was all ready to rock and roll just in the aftermath of 11 September, while refraining from issuing any statement and while operating from the same two states - Florida and New Jersey - that were the stamping-grounds of the hijackers?"
It's not clear if Hitchens is continuing to quote Kristol here, or whether this is a Hitchens-speaking-thru-Kristol sleight of hand.
But "It is ridiculous to suggest"? Those of us all too familiar with this guys' rhetorical technique will recognize as a slur against leftists. In fact, though, the FBI and CIA continue to report NOT finding international connections to the anthrax scare. On the contrary, what's remarkable (and angering) is how SLOW the government and the media has been to move to attribute this to domestic sources.
-Brad Mayer
At 07:56 PM 11/4/01 -0500, you wrote:
>Our Sir Peregrine falls in line with Big Bill Kristol, and wonders if =
>the Administration has the nerve to follow through.
>
>http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/top_story.html?in_review_id=3D=
>470211&in_review_text_id=3D424003