Monty Python and Al Qaeda

Republicans are in full swing politicizing the Christmas underpants bomber.  They have just discovered, apparently, that treating a case like this in exactly the same manner as did George W. Bush with the shoe bomber is a grave failure of leadership.  Who knew? The Democratic party and others are setting the record straight a bit (here and here), which is good. 

One thing about the Republican insistence that these people are the gravest danger this nation has ever faced, the utter pants wetting histrionics of conservatives with regard to these folks.  Consider what this attempt really indicates about Al Qaeda.  In 2001 they came up with the idea of having Richard Reed try and take down a plane by hiding explosives in his shoes and then setting them on fire as the plane landed.  That did not work.  So the brilliant minds of Al Qaeda went to work, those evil geniuses which pose such a monumental threat to the worlds only hyper power put all their brainpower into coming up with another plan.  After nine years they came up with an alternate plan.  This time they would put a guy on a plane with his underwear packed with explosives and he would set this on fire as the plane landed.   Apparently, the recognized that a man setting his shoes on fire was suspicious, but then they thought that man setting his underwear on fire was less so.  Hmmm. 

I’m sorry, but this really is more like Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Sir Bedevere’s plan with the wooden rabbit.  Then when that doesn’t work try a wooden badger.  In a three way competition with the Knights of the Round table and the Judean People’s Front, I’m not convinced that Al Qaeda comes out as the most competent. 

Look, I’m not trivializing the thread of terrorism, rather I’m putting it in proportion.  It is conservatives and Republicans who are magnifying it out of all reason.  Anyone committing an act of murder needs to be caught and prosecuted.  The people trying to kill Americans in acts of terrorism no less than any others.   That is serious and should be treated with seriousness by our officials.   But the idea that these people are in any position to destroy the United States is comical and cowardly.  That needs to stop.