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The
Wrong Man at Langley On September 11, 2001, Tenet was having breakfast at the Hay-Adams Hotel near the White House with his mentor, former Oklahoma Democratic senator David Boren. One of Tenet's security guards brought him the news: "A plane has gone into the World Trade Center, Mr. Director." Tenet said: "Was it an attack? It sounds like an attack." Tenet jumped in his limousine to dash over to CIA headquarters. Before leaving, Tenet told Boren: "This is bin Laden. His fingerprints are all over it." This comment showed a) that Tenet was aware of the danger of an attack on the U.S. by bin Laden but also b) that the CIA viewed itself as helpless to predict — and thus to help prevent — such an attack. Which is completely unacceptable, because it is precisely to avoid such disasters that we have an intelligence establishment. And Tenet himself is an important part of the problem. Sharia
in Kabul? In June, President Karzai appointed a politically diverse cabinet, including a number of moderates, to lead Afghanistan's transition government. To head the supreme court, however, he appointed Shinwari, a man with a well-publicized commitment to implementing hard-line sharia. On January 24, for instance, Shinwari had told the international press that under the new government, adulterers would be stoned to death, the hands of thieves amputated, and consumers of alcohol given 80 lashes. The 70-year-old justice had lived in exile for nearly 40 years, mostly in Pakistan, where he taught Islamic law at a madrassa. Decorating the wall above his desk, according to the Associated Press, are a sword and a leather lash for flogging. They were left by the Taliban, but Shinwari keeps them up as symbols of the harsh sharia justice which he also endorses. Saddam's
Last Stand Will Saddam really sit it out in one of his presidential palaces until the Marines burst in? Wouldn't he try to shoot it out, and in that case what surprises might he spring? Questions of this kind lead to war-game scenarios, with variables such as Saddam's ceding power to one or another of his odious sons; a coup; and defections on such a scale that the regime implodes as Communism did. Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress in exile, is someone who speculates that Saddam might resort to chemical or biological weapons of mass destruction. Such weapons are most uncertain, and would threaten the health of the Iraqi people for years — not that Saddam would care about that. Rumor has it that he ordered the notorious Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal to mount some repeat of September 11. When Abu Nidal wouldn't or couldn't, Saddam had him shot dead. And he is now said to be reactivating Abu Abbas, of Achille Lauro infamy. The
Jersey Jive When Republicans unsuccessfully petitioned the United States Supreme Court to consider the case, they again relied largely on the logistical argument, this time adding that since election officials did not have enough time to change all ballots, some voters would be disenfranchised. "Sixteen hundred absentee ballots have been mailed already, and 106 military ballots have been mailed already," the GOP argued. "An unknown number of these citizens of New Jersey have already cast their absentee ballots for the November 5, 2002, general election." Since some had likely already voted, Republicans pointed out, the New Jersey supreme court in effect interfered with an election in progress. "Regardless of whether or not they are right on whether this can be done in a timely manner, they don't have the right to change the rules in the middle of the election," says Vogel. There is certainly some merit in that argument — but the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Republicans' application without explanation. The
Case for No Confidence One cause for optimism cited by the Bush economic team is the recent jobs data from the Labor Department. The employment report for September reveals that the unemployment rate dipped to 5.6 percent — the lowest rate of any industrialized country. What a relief! Or was it? Even though unemployment fell, the economy still lost 43,000 jobs. In fact, the only major sector of the economy to gain jobs last month was the government. And over the past two years, public payrolls have been growing at about three times the pace of private payrolls, creating only an illusion of a vibrant job market. To put it another way: These are good times if you're a mailman, an airport screener, or a Defense Department contractor. For the rest of us, this sure has the feel of a lingering recession. Collared
— Falsely Spend any time talking with priests today and you're likely to hear about the case of Msgr. Michael Smith Foster, the Archdiocese of Boston's top canon lawyer. Foster was removed from ministry this summer after a Boston man filed a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual abuse. But evidence emerged that the accuser was probably lying, and the suit collapsed. The archdiocese then restored Msgr. Foster to his duties — only to remove him again within days when the same discredited source made new allegations. "If this can happen to one of the most highly respected canonists in the nation, as a result of an extremely weak allegation, at this point, what hope does the average parish priest who has not cracked open a canon-law textbook since before his ordination hold in a similar situation?" asks Pete Vere, a Catholic layman and licensed canonist. Visas
for Terrorists Alomari claimed to be a student, though he left blank the space for the name and address of his school. He checked the box claiming he was married, yet he left blank the area where he should have put the name of his spouse. Alomari didn't even bother filling in the fields asking for his nationality and sex, apparently realizing that he didn't need to list much more than his name to obtain a visa to the United States. He was right: He got his visa. When he arrived in the United States, he connected with his friend Mohamed Atta. And less than three months later — on September 11 — he helped smash American Airlines Flight 11 into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Alomari never should have gotten the visa that allowed him to be in the United States on that day — and neither should at least 14 of the other 9/11 terrorists. The
End of an Alliance Official Saudi sources indicate that between 1975 and 1987, Riyadh's "overseas development aid" averaged $4 billion per year, and there is evidence that this level was maintained in the 1990s. While some of this aid did go to legitimate development-assistance activities, Saudi data show that at least half ($50 billion over two and a half decades) and perhaps as much as two-thirds financed strictly "Islamic activities." It would be an exaggeration to argue that extremism has become the dominant idiom in Islam, but there is no question that Saudi money has been able to buy a significant foothold for extremist views and fanaticism unrepresentative of mainstream Islam. It is the largest worldwide propaganda campaign ever mounted: Since 9/11, the vast majority of the nearly 50 Islamic organizations that have been raided, closed down, or had their assets frozen by federal authorities because of suspected terrorist ties have been either controlled or funded — or both — by the Saudis.
Our Chavez (Not
Cesar) — Jay Nordlinger Man and Monument
— Tracy Lee Simmons Standard Deviance
— Carol Iannone That Was No Lady
— Jonah Goldberg City Desk: Tony Tigers — Richard Brookhiser on Fashion Week
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