Apparently I'm not being clear. A dark-haired person in a mosque is not a target. A dark-haired person in a mosque trying to collect anthrax is a target. An old man in an internet chat room is not a target. An old man downloading kiddie porn is a target. A latino immigrant working at Taco Bell is not a target. A latino immigrant working at Taco Bell and driving a Lincoln Navigator, wire-transferring three thousand dollars a week and wearing a six-hundred dollar cowboy hat is a target.

I love my paperwork. I take great pride in my affidavits. My affidavits kick ass. It wouldn't be as much fun to catch the bad guys without the constitutional protections, which I myself might need some day. (When the vegans outlaw meat)

But I take my time. I amass a lot of evidence before I arrest anybody. So does that FBI agent. He ain't gonna write no skinny warrant. Ebbie's jury ain't gonna get a shot at him. He wouldn't be any happier going to prison or losing his retirement because somebody was proud to be on jury with a bunch of folks who hate Republicans.

He isn't timid, but he knows which way the wind blows. He knows what the law allows, and what it limits. That's the way you want it. That's the way a lot of people want it. O.K. That's not a bad thing. We're still enjoying ourselves.

But it's really really really chickenshit for anybody to even suggest the FBI could have stopped the hijackers if only they had done their job.