Is that a bomb in your suitcase, or are you just happy to see us

In his column today, George Will discusses the ever-present threat that terrorists will attack the U.S. with a dirty bomb or even worse, a suitcase nuclear bomb, attacks which would make 9/11 seem no worse than a traffic jam. Will questions President Bush's contiued commitment to a Cold War-era missile defense system, but he also doubts that John Kerry will be willing to confront the growing threat posed by North Korea and Iran. Will notes that one of Kerry's advisors on the matter has written that military action against those two nations may be necessary. It's a great time to be an American, huh?

Turning our attention to matters less likely to render vast swathes of American cities uninhabitable, Brad Bumsted says Pennsylvania needs to revive its defunct Crime Commission, now that slot machines have been legalized--and in light of the fact that the governor has appointed a man to head the state's gambling commission who has been accused of having mob ties. Maybe what we need is a new governor.

Finally, if your newspaper regularly leaves you cursing in your morning coffee, you might want to check out Cope's indictment of the state of American journalism and newspapers in particular. I just wish Dave would stop sugarcoating things and finally speak his mind.