Losing the war on cynicism

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I’ve seen a fair bit of commentary and newspaper coverage shining a skeptical light on dire claims by federal and local authorities as well as some press outlets about the four men who were charged Saturday for planning to blow up fuel lines at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. My how times have changed since 2001 and 2002, when such critical coverage would have been much more timid or in marginal media outlets.

As for me, I’m certainly glad these guys were caught, and the law enforcement folks involved in foiling this embryonic plot deserve kudos. Even if—as seems clear from the details that are emerging—the plan was half-baked, it’s impressive that the plotters were monitored and busted before they had time to cause any real trouble. Isn’t that the way these things should work? A fizzled attack at a key transportation node such as JFK might not kill thousands, but it could still cause severe disruptions and make people afraid to travel.

The problem though, is the temptation among law enforcement officials to go beyond the evidence and make wild statements about “unfathomable damage, deaths and destruction,” as the United States attorney in Brooklyn did in her statement announcing the arrests. That kind of exaggeration just raises the level of cynicism in the United States about terrorism, making people wonder if it’s all just a political game by the Bush administration. Stick to the facts, I say.