Congress still may be unprepared for a terrorist strike

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Two weeks ago, the FBI arrested Rezwan Ferdaus and accused the 26-year-old Massachusetts man of planning to fly an explosives-laden model airplane into the U.S. Capitol. The plot’s revelation sparked debate over the FBI’s tactics in investigating Muslims and drew attention to the possibility that someone could use remote-controlled aircraft to carry out a terrorist attack.

What the story did not do is prompt any renewed soul-searching over whether the legislative branch is prepared to cope with a catastrophic strike, even though it’s been several years since Congress looked seriously at the issue.

Ferdaus’s plan, even if it had been successful, seems unlikely to have inflicted large-scale damage on Congress. The same could not be said of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when United Flight 93 may well have been headed for the Capitol before passengers brought it down in a Pennsylvania field. The next month, much of Congress ground to a halt after anthrax-laden envelopes were mailed to two senators’ offices.

Those incidents spurred an intense discussion on Capitol Hill: What if hundreds of lawmakers were killed or incapacitated? How quickly could the House and Senate gather to authorize special powers for the president, or appropriate money to fight a war?

full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress-still-may-be-unprepared-for-a-terrorist-strike/2011/10/10/gIQAbbP5aL_story.html