We are now at HIGH RISK of WMD attacks. Time to Duck and Cover!

What happens when the news is bad for the Whitehouse?  Well, back when homeland security used the scary color codes, someone would call an "orange" and then the media pressure would drop.

Today's CNN website has this as their leading front-page story:

High Risk of WMD Attack in a Decade

Does the timing of this seem strange to anybody else?  This was the result of a survey commissioned by Richard Lugar, and it included a panel of over 80 experts.

Among the experts who participated in the survey were Nunn; retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf; former defense secretaries William Cohen and Frank Carlucci; former CIA Director James Woolsey; former National Security Adviser Richard Allen; former Iraq chief weapons inspector Richard Butler; former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott; and David Kay, who led the hunt for WMD in Iraq after the fall of Saddam.

On the one hand, the article quotes Lugar as saying that the best prevention for these WMD attacks is to  build extraordinary international relationships.  Hey, I can agree with that.  But that statement leads into a lot of talk about building democracy around the world, which makes me a little suspicious.

The article seems peppered with all the good keywords.  In fact, it was over early morning coffee when I read it through for the first time, and with only my dog-brain working, it read like -

WMD, blah blah blah, nuclear, axis of evil, blah blah, North Korea, Iran, Saddam, September 11, blah blah blah, nerve gas.

With the pressure mounting from the DSM, I halfway expected to see some kind of terror alert.  Is this the new format for issuing terror alerts designed to distract people from bad news?  

•  Or

  Am I wearing a shiny silver hat?

  by Clues on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 04:28:22 AM PDT

  •  Hat's not so shiny

    The timing of this article is pretty suspect, given the flimsiness of its substance.

    by beemer on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 04:30:15 AM PDT

    •  You mean the vague

      threat of an unspecified attack in an unspecified location over the span of a decade based on pure opinions of scared Americans could mean anything less than the sky is falling?  How dare you!  In times of crisis like this I consult my bible to see what to do.  It says, "Thou shalt bow before Bush."  I suggest you all should do the same.

      But seriously, folks, these threats could be fun mad libs:
      Today, the US government released the following terror alert warning:
      "Based on (verb) intel we have recieved from examining (middle-eastern name)'s computer, we believe that terrists will strike some time in the next (number) years.  The attack may consist of (body part) gas and/or (scary weapon here).  In a post 9/11 world, (meaningless sentence here).  In responce to this (adjective) threat, we will be raising the minimum terror alert color to (color) for all eternity.
      

      by Closet VB Coder on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 06:23:19 AM PDT

  •  Heh..

    I saw this this morning, and I'm sad to say my first reaction was, "Hm, I guess Rove's TV appearance didn't work."  Did you also notice the U2 crash in SW Asia?  Is Pakistan far enough west to be SW Asia or could it be ... Iran?

    Within the next two weeks, we capture a "leading financier" of Al Qaeda, we go up to Orange alert, we announce a major new "Find Osama" initiative with the country where we know he's hiding, we announce Iran is planning to test a nuclear weapon, and/or we announce that Venezuela has become one of the "rogue states" by holding the "world" hostage due to its terrorist-like oil production policies.

    by socratic on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 05:10:12 AM PDT

•  This report is worthless

  Basically provides no new information.  The whole thing smells like old sushi left out in the sun too long.

  by Steven D on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 04:45:14 AM PDT

•  And I might add

  we can blame the Bush administration and Bolton in particular for screwing up our non-proliferation efforts.

  by Steven D on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 04:46:48 AM PDT

•  How could that be?

  And just when I was feeling so much safer because George W. Bush was our president...

  by think2004 on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 04:59:04 AM PDT

•  when was the report completed ?

  To me, the key quote is:

  Most of the more than 80 experts surveyed in the report released on Tuesday

  When was the "report" (and it sounds much more like a survey than a study) completed ? Was there a gap between when it was completed and when it was released ? If so, how much of a gap was there ?

  Unless they are willing to reveal this specific information, this is nothing but a phony Tom Ridge-esque raising of the "terror threat level" in order to control the media cycle:

  

  Expect Darth Cheney and Abu Gonzalez to flog this report's survey's "results" over the next few days as justification for WoT, Guantanamo, etc . . .

  by res on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 05:01:22 AM PDT

  •  Sounds more like a...

    ...circle jerk to me.

    by Jim Riggs on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 05:08:29 AM PDT

•  Just a tiny point:

  They would call an ORANGE on the color alerts, we have been at yellow since Mr. Ridge started the color codes....

  by deepintheheartoftx on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 05:02:26 AM PDT

  •  Yah

    It's a subtle way of saying to America that a constant fear of DEATH PAIN DESTRUCTION BURNING BABIES AAGGGGHHHH!!! is better than those green and (traitorous) blue conditions of peace.  After all, America ain't doin' right if someone ain't wantin' t'kill us all, y'hear?

    by socratic on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 05:12:21 AM PDT

  •  Oh yes, you're right.

    I'll make an edit.  Two cups of coffee and still not awake.  What's it going to take today?

    I almost forgot about the plastic/plywood/duct tape sandwiches.  What's the color code for raising the Home Depot stock?  

    by Clues on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 05:22:27 AM PDT

•  Once again...

  CNN goes to bat for the White House. Sad....

  by JayIsConfused on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 05:19:29 AM PDT

•  High risk of WMD attack *

  Sometime this century, somewhere in the northern hemisphere... during daytime... on a weekday.

  * This message brought to you by the duct tape industry

  by diplomatic on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 06:00:49 AM PDT

•  No Orange Alert

  Silly, there's no need for an Orange Alert - dubya isn't up for re-election.

  by paradocs on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 06:11:33 AM PDT

•  F**k Lugar

  On the one hand, the article quotes Lugar as saying that the best prevention for these WMD attacks is to  build extraordinary international relationships.

  I used to give him some credit for being a semi-sane Republican, especially for his much-touted foreign affairs expertise.

  But no more.  He's put party before country again and again, and supported the Bushies in doing the EXACT OPPOSITE of what he says above.

  Fuck him and all Repugs who want it both ways:  they want credit for being reasonable and moderate, while enabling the Bush wrecking crew at every single turn.   They're almost worse that the honest wingnuts who at least don't try to soft-peddle their horrible voting records.

  by chumley on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 06:25:49 AM PDT

•  Worthless Report

  I hope no one was paid money to prepare this

  by rlteiken on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 07:12:49 AM PDT

  •  Siphon $700 million

    If they were behaving as usual dubya's administration would just siphon $700 million from the supplementary appropriations for Iraq - this to be part of the planning money for (you pick it) Iran, Syria, or North Korea.

    Com to think of it, that's probably where some of that "lost" money went...

    by paradocs on Wed Jun 22, 2005 at 08:14:44 AM PDT