[cajungirl]

If you have to choose between incompetence or malice, go for incompetence and you are right 99% of the time. Someone told me that once and it has rung true for me for many years, and lessened my paranoia.

[eno_]

Yes, the likeliest answer is that it was a botched "sting" and Clintoon chose to turn it into a propaganda event.

[samtheman]

If you have to choose between incompetence or malice, go for incompetence and you are right 99% of the time. Someone told me that once and it has rung true for me for many years, and lessened my paranoia.

I agree. I only bring up the possibility of malice to try to underscore the certainty of incompetence.

Institutional incompetence. Built into the system. Bigger than the many competent agents that slave away under the burden of the institution. Like the field agent who tried to warn superiors about the 9/11 crew taking flight lessons. (Just to take a single example.)