Priorities

Front page headline in today's Chron: Al Qaeda Still Poses Threat.

Despite U.S. success in attacking al-Qaida's hierarchy, the terrorist network is still capable of "catastrophic attacks" against the United States, CIA Director George Tenet told the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday.

The U.S. assault on al-Qaida has "transformed the organization into a loose collection of regional networks working autonomously," Tenet said. The smaller groups "pick their own targets, they plan their own attacks," but they share an anti-American goal.

The most immediate threats include the possibility of "poison attacks" and al-Qaida's ongoing effort to produce anthrax material, he said.

"Extremists have widely disseminated assembly instructions for an improvised chemical weapon using common materials that could cause a large number of casualties in a crowded, enclosed area," Tenet said.

"We are still at war against a movement," he said, appearing with other administration officials to discuss global security threats. "People who say it's exaggerated don't look at the same world I look at. It's not going away anytime soon."

Well, I'm sure they'll understand that we have more pressing matters to take care of right now, and will agree to lie low until we've got this whole gay marriage thing worked out. It's the least they can do.

Funny how in every Bush administration, a crisis arises that can only be dealt with by amending the Constitution. Turned out that flag burning really wasn't such a grave danger, but that doesn't mean we can afford to let our guards down now. Maybe we can come to a compromise here that would also address this little bit of unfinished business that Poppy left us. I hereby propose an amendment to the Constitution that strictly forbids gay people from burning the flag. Who's with me?

Posted by Charles Kuffner on February 25, 2004 to National news | TrackBack