Intelligence

I was watching the Nightly News with Jon Stewart. I know his show is not the real news but satire. Still he said some interesting things. Like the Colbert Report, it is so funny it hurts, or it hurts so much it is really funny.

He was drawing the comparison between the latest bombing attempt on NW flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit and a shoe bomber who failed 8 years ago.

Both paid cash for their one-way flights. Both were flying internationally without luggage and both were in the CIA's field of view as potential problems. Both used PETN and both were subdued by passengers. Jon said we should have at least been looking for the same pattern 8 years later. The only difference in our readiness in 8 years is that we have to take our shoes off at airport security.

What crafty maniacs that they so cleverly disguised their actions after the first attempt that by doing all the same things except relocate the explosives 3 feet away they were able to again almost pull off their daring plot. But for the incompetence of the operative and the brave passengers around him they might have suceeded. What next, wait a few years, convince a known terrorist to fly from a Western European capital to the United States on a one-way ticket without luggage and then completely change things by puting the PETN in his hat?

Also someone should have looked at the most recents bomber's destination. Flying one way to Detroit in the winter? What was he looking for, a better life? a job?

So funny it hurts, or is that it hurts so bad it is funny?