Friday, October 05, 2001

 

Sometimes, all I can say is "Duh."

Retaliation Feared If U.S. Strikes Afghanistan. Thank you Washington Post for that headline, and thank you U.S. officials for making that clear. The thought never crossed my mind (she types, rolling her eyes and saying "duh").

At a briefing Tuesday, in response to a senator's question about the gravity of the threat, one intelligence official said there is a "100 percent" chance of an attack should the United States strike Afghanistan, according to sources familiar with the briefing.

I'm more than 3,000 miles away from the briefing and, therefore, not familiar with it all, but geez guys, even I knew that.

Attorney General John D. Ashcroft warned earlier this week that there is a "likelihood of additional terrorist activity," and that the "risks go up" once the United States responds with military action. (Duh.)

The Justice Department sought to play down that warning slightly Monday, after Ashcroft's words received more media attention than officials had expected. (Duh.)

"Ashcroft's and [Secretary of State Colin L.] Powell's people and the White House are working on how to word their warnings," a source familiar with multiagency discussions said. "The government doesn't want to panic people."

Well, we're already in a state of panic. Maybe the truth would calm us down and allow us to somewhat prepare for what's going to happen.

The overriding goal, a senior official said, is to make the United States a "hard target" for terrorists.

Again, I'm not even close to being a senior government official but even I could have told you that's the goal. (Duh.)

Two weeks ago, I was very proud of our government for being open and honest about everything that had happened. I do understand they can't tell us everything that's happening now because it would be showing their cards to bin Laden. But please give us the benefit of the doubt. We're not stupid. Don't treat us as if we are.

posted by Anne 10/05/2001 08:12:00 AM