[Mitchell]

I think the "stall" got out of hand. Unlike the other silly theories (mountain streams and Wiccans and the like), the Rosenberg theory fits a left-wing political agenda. That's what gives it staying power, in spite of the complete lack of evidence. It fits certain people's preconceptions very well.

[The Great Satan]

I disagree. The operational decoy spin before the "rogue scientist"-Barbara Nutbag theory was the "rightwing militia" theory, which was injected into the public arena by Bob Woodward. Woodward is the quintessential insider, viz his recent WP series on Bush's War on Terror, or his Gulf War book, The Commanders. If he was used to put out that red herring, knowingly or unknowingly, then clearly the administration does not care if it has to pander to lefties' wish-fulfillment fantasies to keep up the stall. Hey, whatever works! Besides, they'll get egg on their faces in the end. Actually, it all sounds very much like the George W. Bush we have come to know -- remember his strategic lovefest with Teddy Kennedy a few weeks back? The overwhelming issue was and is how to manage the anthrax threat without putting the economy in a tailspin -- everything else is small potatoes.