An addendum to my speculation yesterday that Eric Holder may have prematurely stated that the TTP directed the attack on Times Square in order to strengthen the administration's rationale for our continued involvement in Afghanistan:
“As we've seen in recent plots here in the United States, Al Qaida and its extremist allies continue to plot in the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” President Obama said. “A growing Taliban insurgency could mean an even larger safe haven for Al Qaida and its affiliates.”
A senior administration official tells ABC News that the president was referring to specific cases such as attempted Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, terrorist plotter Najibullah Zazi Mumbai attacks plotter David Headley, as well as other would-be terrorists whose cases have not been reported.
Note that both Zazi and Headley were handled through the criminal justice system. They both pleaded guilty after being interrogated by law enforcement.
A final thing is that while it's obviously very funny that Senator Kit Bond fell asleep during the intelligence briefing given his history of politicizing national security issues, Senator Diane Feinstein was in the briefing and her conclusion was similar to Bond's if less inflammatory:
Feinstein said, "We know he received explosives training in Waziristan" in northwest Pakistan, and she thought there was a high likelihood that he did have training by the Pakistani Taliban.
That's significantly more of a hedge than Holder's declaration that "the evidence that we've now developed shows that the Pakistani Taliban has directed this plot."
-- A. Serwer
