Chertoff Has A Gut Feelling

I was watching the nightly news tonight when I heard about this alarming story.

Apparently, Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff has a gut feeling that America might be attacked this summer.

On Tuesday, Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, told the editorial board of The Chicago Tribune that he had a “gut feeling” about a new period of increased risk. He said he based his assessment on patterns of terrorists in Europe and intelligence he would not disclose.

“Summertime seems to be appealing to them,” Mr. Chertoff said. “We worry that they are rebuilding their activities.”

“Our edge is technology and the vigilance of the ordinary citizen,” he added.

While some people might be alarmed that Chertoff thinks America we’ll be attacked. I am alarmed that he is basing this on a “Gut Feeling”. While I can understand, and fully support individuals “trusting their gut” when making decisions, it seems that we as a nation should be relying on more than one man’s gut. The administration, as a whole, has not been so good either at paying attention to their gut, or their gut itself hasn’t proven too accurate these last few years.

I think that the Clinton administration was going on more than just its gut when it passed on warnings about Al Queda to the Bush Administration in 2001.

Back to the matter at hand. According to the Times article, even though Chertoff has this gut feeling, he hasn’t ordered the “Threat Level” increased from level 3 (and 4 for the airline industry).

Maybe the administration would like to invest some money from the the “War on Terror” into psychic research. Then, at least, when the government talks about “gut feelings” I might have a little more faith in the warnings.

Also in the news today was Henri Kissinger’s warning that withdrawal from Iraq could lead to calamity spreading into neighboring nations, and a report about the weakening position of our leading ally in the war on terror, Prevez Musharif, who’s government is apparently so weak that we have had to call off operations that might have lead to the capture of leading Al Queda operatives for fear of destabilizing yet another nation.

So it would seem that continuing the fight, or withdrawing, we may destabilize other countries. Wish we had thought of all of this back in 2003 before we launched this war.

Oh, and like a cherry on top of a bad news sundae, the Iraq refuge crisis worsens by the day, Richard Engel reported tonight that there is a booming sex trade in Syria involving young Iraqi refugees.

In summary:
According to Chertoff’s gut, we are not safe
Iraqis are fleeing their country and winding up in the sex trade
Iraq itself is engaged in full fledged civil war
Pakistan’s government is teetering on the brink of stability in part due to Musharif’s relationship with the United states
and Gas is at nearly $3.50 a gallon

What exactly did the Iraq war accomplish?