He, like everyone in the media, didn't see it.
By "off the wall" are you referring to Vin's call to arm airline passengers? Did you know that this isn't actually against FAA regulations? Check out section 108.11 of Code of Federal Regulations: Title 14.
Living in our nation's capital is good for some things, and one of those is having close daily contact with people from a wide range of cultures.
I'm impressed with people from Hindu or Buddhist religiously based cultures. Not so much so with people from Moslem lands. This was even before the horror of September 11th.