I wonder if the writer would characterize the bomb as "crude" if he was standing beside it when it went off. Calling it "crude" is an attempt to minimize the incident.
“Calling it “crude” is an attempt to minimize the incident.”
I can’t read the reporter’s mind, but I think it’s a legitimate distinction. Crude vs. a “sophisticated explosive device.” It’s saying more about the competence of the perp than the dangerousness of the weapon. Thinking readers might even then realize that had a similarly motivated but competent bomber done the identical thing, the results would have been disastrous.
As more details come out every day, more and more egg ends up on the face of Napolitano and DHS—not to mention the bozo who put her in charge.
Of course, the most alert readers also are “connecting the dots” between the performance of Arizona’s current governor on the illegal immigration issue relative to Napolitano’s while she held the identical post. It’s a safe bet DHS would be managed very differently if Jan Brewer were in charge. I, for one, would feel much safer.