Army connection?
One of the labs capable of producing anthrax spores is the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland.
"When you think of where did anthrax possibly come from, you have to think of our laboratory," said Maj. Gen. John Parker, who until his retirement last week oversaw the team of scientists at the lab assigned to the FBI case.
Over the years, Fort Detrick shared its anthrax with others labs for research purposes. In the 1990s, there was a series of security lapses.
It also has a long history of training highly skilled scientists, leading some to suggest the spores or even the anthrax killer might be associated with the lab.
Barbara Rosenberg, a microbiologist with the State University of New York at Purchase, accuses the FBI of stalling to protect government secrets.
"There may be embarrassing information connected with the entire event and there may not be real enthusiasm about bringing this information out to the public," she said.
The FBI hotly rejects such suggestions.
"Those are uninformed ... outsiders," Harp said.
As for Assistant Director Hart's expertise ---
Van Harp, special agent in charge of the FBI's Cleveland bureau, defended Kroner and Lynch in a press release, saying, "Their entire careers in the FBI have been dedicated to fighting organized crime and public corruption and making Youngstown a better place to live."
From James Traficant Threatens to Sue Department of Justice. Hart appears to be an ordinary FBI gumshoe, probably a lawyer or an accountant, and unlikely to know what he's talking about.
Which makes it interesting that he would be "in charge" of the investigation, given the stakes involved. Of course, the "investigation" is a sham -- Bush and Cheney have never been in any doubt about where the anthrax came from, nor did the sender make any great effort to hide his identity. After all, Bush has to know who he's not supposed to hit, right?
The New York Times blew the gaffe on the real nature of this anthrax -- and it ain't no bathtub brew -- six months ago: Contradicting Some U.S. Officials, 3 Scientists Call Anthrax Powder High-Grade. The same Times reporter, William J. Broad, recently did it again, revealing that one of the 9-11 hijackers sought treatment for cutaneous anthrax, a fact known to the authorities but kept from the public since last October: Report Linking Anthrax and Hijackers Is Investigated.