Before our army captured Saddam our intelligence sources had no clue as to whether Saddam was organizing the attacks on us. Now we have designated another Iraqi as a possible leader of those attacks. There seems also to be no evidence for this man either. He is just next in the hierarchy.

I wonder whether any person is coordinating these attacks within Iraq or whether Osama is still coordinating anything. There need not be any one in charge, just individuals and small groups of fanatical people. Remember when nearly 250 persons were killed in Oklahoma by a not too bright Timothy McVeigh. It doesn't take much brains, money or people to organize a disaster. In my opinion there will continue to be some attacks even on the USA but nothing so devastating as 9/11/ The western world is much better prepared to deflect some, but unfortunately not all, of these than before 9/11.

It is difficult to imagine that Osama, whose living quarters now are possibly only marginally better than Saddam's spider hole and who constantly requires the aid of a dialysis machine, could be an effective coordinator of a worldwide terrorist organization. With all of our supposed better intelligence from the beginning we haven't made the slightest connection between Iraq and any international terrorist group. Lately there have been intercepted phone conversations designed, in my opinion, to beef up the Osama image. I'm beginning to seriously wonder, especially since Osama has been on the run, whether he isn't completely irrelevant except a figurehead. Our attempts both before the war and even now to tie any of this together have been pathetic.

If the Osama "organization" really had definitive plans to attack America don't you think it would be best for them to keep them secret and let their "actions speak louder than words?" Why should Osama's second in command make announcements about future plans to attack America? When one can't organize an attack the next best thing to do is create fear and confusion. They have gotten our government to raise the alert level to "orange." Not bad for a few phone calls probably designed to be intercepted.

Incidentally does anyone think a few police or soldiers at bridges and tunnels can really pick out "suspicious vehicles?" What makes for a "suspicious vehicle?" The only thing they can do is to conduct a few random and superficial truck checks. Since they can not possibly inspect even one truck out of every hundred, the chance of finding anything approaches zero. I think Osama's "disinformation" campaign is working on our government but apparently not on the public. Holiday travelers apparently have totally ignored the alert. The Big Apple is jumping!

Theodore E. Theodorsen