[PornoDoggy]

I think that claiming the Saudis "have close ties to most Americans in one form or another" is an excellent example of chutzpah, but I'm still not certain that Bush family ties to Saudi money have much to do with 9/11.

Let me rephrase that - most of the time when people start talking about 9/11 in conjunction with Bush family ties to Saudi money, I seem to detect the distinct crinkle of a tin foil hat maintained at the ready in case of stealth black helicopter attack.

There was a wall between foreign and domestic intelligence agencies put up in the 70s, when it was discovered that the two sides had engaged in some blatant abuses of their powers. The thing that gets lost in most discussions of this issue is that enormous resources were diverted from matters of importance to petty grievances and hairbrained schemes.

A reporter or editor, newspaper or magazine, author of a letter to the editor, or public speaker could become a long-term subject of interest to the FBI, for example, if they were critical of the agency or the director.

I sort of agree with Serge on one major point - I do think that both the State of Missouri and the United States as a whole would have been far better off if John Ashcroft had pursued a singing career.