[The credibility gap starts to become visible] [From Slate's Today's Papers]
<snip> Apparently tiring of Attorney General Ashcroft's habit of slightly spinning terror cases, *nobody* fronts his announcement that a Somali man has been indicted for his role in an alleged plot to blow up an Ohio mall. As the Post emphasizes, the man reportedly has connections to Iyman Faris, the guy who apparently has admitted to connections to al-Qaida and once considered trying to topple the Brooklyn Bridge. Responding to Ashcroft, the NYT does the journalistic equivalent of coughing while muttering "bull---t": FBI types suggested the plot "appeared not to have advanced beyond the discussion stage. The officials expressed doubt that [the defendant] had the financial, organizational or technical skills to carry out an attack." The Times adds that the indictment itself doesn't mention the alleged bombing plot; rather it's cited in the government's motion to keep the guy without bail. <end excerpt> Michael
