BUSH'S DR. STRANGELOVE

EDITORIAL

30 July 2003
The Capital Times & Wisconsin State Journal
10A

It is sometimes difficult to figure out whether America faces greater 
threats from terrorists abroad or the Bush team's Dr. Strangeloves at home. 
This week, in particular, the Dr. Strangeloves were looking almost as 
dangerous as the foreign plotters - and a lot more foolish.

John Poindexter, the former Reagan national security adviser, came up with a 
grand idea for improving intelligence gathering about terrorist threats. He 
wanted to set up a betting parlor on terrorism.

Working out of the Pentagon, Poindexter proposed setting up a Policy 
Analysis Market as a way to prevent terrorist attacks.

The terrorism trading scheme was designed to invite investors to bet on 
terror attacks, assassinations and other events in the Middle East. 
Investors who guessed right would win money while defense officials would 
supposedly gain insights.

Fortunately, two Democratic senators got wind of the death-and- 
dismemberment market and exposed it as "grotesque." The Pentagon backed away 
from Poindexter's plan to start trading in terror futures, after equally 
distressed Republican senators joined in questioning whether Poindexter had 
lost another screw.

The heroes in this story are Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Ron Wyden, 
D-Ore. In a letter to Poindexter, they said threats of terrorist attacks 
"should be met with intelligence gathering of the highest quality - not by 
putting the question to individuals betting on an Internet Web site."

The recently released 9-11 report raises questions about the nation's 
intelligence gathering ability. It made several good recommendations. We 
would add another: Fire John Poindexter.