Good morning, Netizens...

[Picture of Scheuer courtesy of ABC news, date uncertain]

Normally I stay as far away from the Right-Wing Nut Cases as I do from the Left Wing Nut Cases, as although both have their respective points at respective times, both are quite similar to a team of blind men assessing elephants. As each blind team member tentatively feels the tail of the elephant, they will determine the animal to be long and snake-like, perhaps even declaring it to be a snake, a poisonous viper at that. This morning, before I really demolish my disposable time with other devices, I found and re-read a transcript of Glenn Beck's show, involving an interview with Michael Scheuer recently which incensed me. However, when I get that irate with someone, I nearly always stop and attempt to rationally understand not only what was said, but why.

In case you are not familiar with Michael Scheuer, you might examine the brief but fairly-accurate Wikipedia article on him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Scheuer before throwing things at otherwise useful computer monitors. Please carefully read his educational background, as he has what I would term an interesting educational background. Then he went to work for the CIA.

Michael Scheuer, stated on Glenn Beck's recently:

Scheuer: The only chance we have as a country right now is for Osama bin Laden to deploy and detonate a major weapon in the United States. Because it's going to take a grass-roots, bottom-up pressure. Because these politicians prize their office, prize the praise of the media and the Europeans. It's an absurd situation again. Only Osama can execute an attack which will force Americans to demand that their government protect them effectively, consistently, and with as much violence as necessary. End Quote

Oh? That is both an interesting statement, given Scheuer's background, and one that I would imagine probably boosted host Beck's ratings, which never really hurt for a lack of controversy. Were such a thing possible, if Osama bin Laden to set off a strategically-placed major nuclear device in the United States, would it result in the kind of revolution Scheuer envisions?

Yet another opinion, one which I hold, is that were such an event to happen, the economic and financial fallout which would follow such a fool's game as a nuclear weapon being set off by bin Laden, might leave our country so weakened we would be unable to recover our position as a world leader for decades, if ever.

Which is it? Is Scheuer a genius or a fool?

Dave

---

---