Does the truth lie in Michael Chertoffs gut?
Steve Chapman | July 12, 2007 For anyone who has grown complacent about the danger of terrorism, the incidents in London and Glasgow were supposed to provide a jolt of reality. As former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy put it, “these foiled attacks are best understood as new rounds in a long, global war, provoked by the challenge of radical Islam.” Here was proof that the jihadists are still out there, ready to strike at the moment of their choosing. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff clearly agrees. On a visit Tuesday to the Chicago Tribune, he said he has a “gut feeling” an attack may be imminent. “The intent to attack us remains as strong as it was on Sept. 10, 2001,” he declared. Well, no one in that job is ever going to say the danger has been overstated. But the truth is that intent and ability are not the same thing. Though, al Qaeda may—emphasize “may”—still have the capacity to mount the occasional major operation, that doesn’t mean terrorism should be treated as
