Official: al-Qaida Seeks Chemical Strike

[stickdog]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040519/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/terror_threats&cid=542&ncid=716

WASHINGTON - The top intelligence official at the Homeland Security Department, worried about an increased risk of attack in coming months, says al-Qaida wants to strike on U.S. soil with something other than a conventional explosive — perhaps with a chemical or biological weapon.

Retired Lt. Gen. Patrick Hughes said in an Associated Press interview that America has gotten better at predicting and safeguarding itself against attacks since Sept. 11, 2001. But Hughes said he fears that new terrorists "are being made every single day on the streets of the Middle East."

He worries about chemical and biological attacks, including a dirty bomb. And, in particular, he points to the possibility of another anthrax biological attack, following the one that wreaked havoc on the postal system, closed a Senate building for three months and killed five in 2001. "It's not the only one," Hughes said of that possibility, but anthrax is easy to produce and disperse, he said, noting that the recipes for it and the deadly poison, ricin, are on the Internet. "It's not hard to do."

Hughes ticks off a list of terrorist attacks that began in the 1990s — Khobar Towers, the African embassy bombings, the USS Cole (news - web sites), bombings in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and 9/11 — and worries that terrorists are able to show much patience. "If the past is indeed prologue, then we are going to screw up, or they are going to get lucky," Hughes said. "I can't sleep."

I can't sleep, either, with a Homeland Security Department that thinks it's beneficial to constantly broadcast how easy it is to mail anthrax and how inevitable it is that they will fail to stop the next terrorist attack.

Hmmm.

What could possibly be the point of holding a press conference to broadcast such things?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. To keep you afraid eom

[Journeyman]

2. Please, General, give us just one shred of evidence. . .

that America "has gotten better at predicting" attacks. Oh, we've certainly gotten better at sounding the alarm, but show us a scintilla of corroboration for these wild alarms we receive on such a regular basis.

And perhaps, while you've got that drawer of information open, you can show us the warnings you gave the rest of world in advance of the definite terrorist attacks of the past three years. Where were you when Western interests were being blown to shreds in Turkey, when Western tourists were obliterated in the bombing in Bali, or even when Western housing was leveled in Saudi Arabia?

Oh, and so long as you're finally being open with information, please be so kind as to tell us where and how you acquired this remarkably self-evident information.

Freakin' moron. Ever earned a day's pay, mon General?

[radfringe]

3. the point is - bush*'s numbers in the toilet - time to scare the people

http://www.pollingreport.com/

[Moderator]

4. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=564241