The whole “terrorist babies” delusion is so mind-bendingly stupid that it doesn’t even belong on late night public access TV, but such is the nature of our discourse that it was featured on Anderson Cooper 360 Tuesday. Thankfully, Cooper took the time to try to clean up the mess that was left in his studio as a result.
So on Wednesday night, Cooper hosted Tom Fuentes, who served as the FBI’s assistant director in the office of international operations from 2004 to 2008.
“The FBI has 75 offices overseas, including offices in Jordan, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan,” explained Fuentes. “There was never a credible report — or any report, for that matter — coming across through all the various mechanisms of communication to indicate that there was such a plan for these terror babies to be born.
“Also, I’d like to add, there seems to be a lot of former FBI agents lurking in the halls of Congress and in the legislature in the state of Texas, so I’m kind of curious about that issue as well.”
“I think — in this case, I think the FBI has knocked this story down completely, officially or unofficially,” Fuentes also added. “I think at first they didn’t want to comment on it just because they didn’t want to lend any credence to the people spreading it, but realized that there has to be some comment or else the no comment, you know, means there might be some secret classified information out there, but — but there is no credible information about this particular aspect.
“And something else I caught in your interview of Debbie Riddle where she says a former FBI agent informed her office. What does that mean? They talked to a receptionist? They talked to the janitor? You don’t talk to an office. If an FBI agent was going to brief someone that’s a public official about a sensitive matter of potential terrorism, they’re not going to talk to anybody but the elected official himself or herself.”
This all vaguely reminds me of the ritual abuse panic of the 80s, which at least had something sort of resembling “evidence” to back it up. Except that in this case, the kids are part of the imagined evil plot, too. I’m going to go have a stiff drink now. The Trib has more.
Honestly, Anderson Cooper has to be the nicest journalist on the face of the planet earth.
Even if I wasn’t a progressive, the whole dissection of Debbie Riddle was a painful process to watch even with someone as nice as Anderson Cooper.
It’s pretty simple regardless of what part of the political spectrum you’re on. If you make a statement, be able to back it up. Don’t say that some phantom told you its true even if they claim to be ex FBI. Even if you can’t access the relevant facts during your TV interview, at least be able to back up your claims with facts the next day.
Not only was Debbie Riddle unable to back up her facts during the interview, she’s been totally unable to back them up with the research abilities of her staff. Add to that embarrassment that somebody from the actual FBI smacks her down and you’ve got a painfully pathetic situation.
apparently cooper clicked on the e.r.murrow/joe mccarthy interview somewhere in there. madam riddle/palin clone was equally prepared. ask us the questions we want you to. we certainly can’t answer anything else. when she said she didn’t know she would be grilled about it, i could feel the put a fork in her, she’s done.
like dan quale, she makes you really wonder how incompetent the individuals elected to government can get away with being.
Ron and Jim, You are way too nice. Riddle is an F’ing idiot. I am an independent voter, but we have got to get these bat s*** crazy legislators voted out of office. I am a native Texan and it burns me so much that these bozos get elected and, worse over, re-elected every year. There are a few Democratic turkeys out there too, but the Reps take the cake. The folks who vote straight party are just a stupid…Rep OR Dem!
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