Why the Spooks Screwed Up: “Bin Laden’s network is much harder to penetrate than previous terrorist groups.” Time

And Spike documents a particularly egregious case of foot-in-mouth disease:

“Anyone wondering how America’s intelligence community could have been so

spectacularly blindsided by last week’s terrorist attacks should look at an

essay written two months ago by former CIA officer and State Department

counterterrorism specialist Larry C. Johnson.

In a July 10 New York Times Op-Ed entitled (ouch!) “The Declining Terrorist

Threat,” Johnson snickers at the idea of terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

“Americans…seem to believe that terrorism is the greatest threat to the

United States and that it is becoming more widespread and lethal,” Johnson

writes. “They are likely to think that the United States is the most popular

target of terrorists. And they almost certainly have the impression that

extremist Islamic groups cause the most terrorism. None of these beliefs are

based in fact.”

“[E]arly signs suggest that the decade beginning in 2000 will continue the

downward trend” in deaths from terrorism, the confident expert continues.

America’s irrational fears can be blamed on irresponsible politicians and

military and intelligence experts desperate to justify their agency budgets.

Also to blame (of course): sensation-seeking journalists.