Ridge: Attack Possibly Averted Recently

[AZCat]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=542&ncid=693&e=10&u=/ap/20040204/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/intelligence_ridge

By KATHERINE PFLEGER
Associated Press Writer

Wed Feb 4, 1:58 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Even as the spy community comes under fire for faulty intelligence in Iraq (news - web sites ), Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said he believes recent actions taken in response to terrorist threat information have averted an attack.

"Do I personally? Yes," Ridge said Wednesday when asked if a strike has been prevented. "But I don't know that we'll ever be able to confirm it. ... Proving an unknown is a difficult thing to do."

<snip>

Hmmm. Has he been taking language lessons from Rummy?

(Edited to add link)

[Robb]

1. Doesn't he mean

..."attack program components"? :eyes:

[joeunderdog]

13. No, a "quasi-threat from dangerous-style weapon things."

"And we mean every word of it."

[Jazzgirl]

25. That would be dangerous-style weapon "thingies"

n/t

[denverbill]

2. P-shaw. I personally foiled 25,228 of them during Clinton's term.

Average 8.63 foiled terrorist plots per day for 8 years.

You want proof? Well, that would be pretty difficult, but let's just say that if there had been 25,228 terrorist attacks during Clinton's term, somebody would've noticed.

[truthisfreedom]

3. i recently may have avoided attack myself, by walking down the other side

of the street. i got a funny tingle on the back of my neck, and reacted to protect myself. "But I don't know that I'll ever be able to confirm it. ... Proving an unknown is a difficult thing to do."

[arcane1]

4. that can't be true, because we are SAFE NOW

we caught Saddam!!! Thus, no more threat of terrorism. We took the fight to THEM, in IRAQ, and Bush and his Dick both said that is the CENTRAL battleground now...

:eyes:

Tommy-boy wants it both ways

[benburch]

5. Wolf! Wolf!

Some day, Mr. Ridge, there will indeed BE a wolf, and nobody will heed you. I just hope you personally pay the price for it.

[rogerashton]

6. Let's be fair --

it IS hard to prove a negative, and for all I know, an attack was foiled recently.

Suppose it was. Then it is possible to do so: why wasn't the 9-11 attack foiled?

[jpak]

7. And ever since I put up the plastic sheeting and duct tape

I have not had a single chemical or biological weapons attack in my home.

What a bunch of pa-thetic self-serving horseshit.

[treefrogjohn]

8. And those Martians haven't attacked since we invaded their planet

It all makes sense now.

[MaineDem]

9. It's sad that I believe NOTHING they tell us now

I know it was cool to "Question Authority" and all that but I always had a modicum (is that the right word?) of respect for the government.

Now, I figure everything they say is a lie. And that loss of faith is probably what bothers me most.

[ewagner]

10. Not only the right word

but also the right attitude!

[htuttle]

11. Dragons driven from North American continent

Due to my timely use of Acme Dragon Repellant, North Americans no longer have to fear a potential attack from fire breathing dragons.

You're welcome.

[llmart]

12. Well, we can't have John Kerry

and the Dems getting all this attention now, can we? We must keep putting out these lies about how well they are protecting us from the evil, boogeymen of the Middle East.

Give me a break! Does anyone really get up every morning and think about this crap? My life goes on the same as it always did before this fearmongering group took over this beloved country of mine. I hope, come November, we can look back on this time and say "thank god they're gone".

[CatWoman]

14. attack "possibly" averted?

CatWoman "possibly" can hit lottery.

If I coulda, I woulda, but then I shoulda.

:silly:

[0007]

15. The very name of Tom Ridge is the hallmark of authenticity

:puke:

[onehandle]

16. Onehandle: Drinking Possibly Affected Bush

See, I can make up shit too. Except in my case, I can prove it.

[Beetwasher]

17. Oooh Oooh, I Have A Special Rock That Keeps Tigers Away!

Maybe they's got one for them there terrusts!

[wysi]

20. "Lisa...

I'd like to buy your rock!" HJS

[cosmicdot]

18. "Proving an unknown is a difficult thing to do."

:shrug:

those daggone unknowns

Ridge wouldn't lie to us, would he?

[sungkathak]

19. "Proving unknown" is not a difficult thing

Bush invaded Iraq to prove "WMD" is a fake information. Ridge is only a coward. Bush made a wrong nomination.

[Snappy]

21. Faith

I lost my faith in Santa Clause, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and the US Govt.

Democracy?

[Rex]

22. Show me the beef!

Ridge = traitor

[Lindacooks]

23. If proving a negative is difficult,

then why is that exactly what Rummy wanted Hussein to do? "Iraq must prove that they don't have WMDs". So if Repukes need to prove a negative, they can whine how hard it is, but if somebody else needs to prove a negative, they're lying if they can't?????????? Assholes.

[DS1]

24. Maybe JJ's nipple scared em away

:shrug:

[leesa]

26. Right. These sleezebags are far too busy raking in the cash

and plotting how to enslave us peons to notice any type of actual terrorist activities. THEY are the only terrorists to fear anyway.

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. I'd be more inclined to believe him

if he'd set up a half-decent screening process by now. But currently, it's a farce:

"Libutti declined to give a date when the center - designed to integrate the plethora of lists of terror suspects held by different agencies of the U.S. government -- would be up to speed, but Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said earlier this year that it would be fully functional "by mid May."
...
During the orange alert, three names from an Air France passenger manifest identified as suspect by U.S. authorities turned out to be a young child, an elderly Chinese restaurateur and a Welsh insurance salesman - none with any connection to terrorism."

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_3887.shtml

[yellowcanine]

28. Would that be a known unknown or an unknown unknown?

Dammit, where is Rummy when you need him?

[malachi]

29. Possibly, maybe, could have,m ight have been, there's a chance,

within the odds of probability, someone, somewhere mentioned, that Tom Ridge might have a clue about something or not.