[Texasforever]

The issue is not actual damage it is psychological damage. The very term radiation is a loaded and potent term when it comes to a terrorist threat. The costs for "clean up" alone would be enormous and if it happened in a major financial center it could effectively shut down the economy. Never underestimate the power of psychological warfare.

[Iwo Jima]

You are right, and the counter weapon for this psychological weapon is to cure the ignorance which causes the thought of a "dirty" bomb to be so effective. Any bomb is a danger, but a dirty bomb is no more dangerous than a "clean" bomb.

Ashcroft plays right into the terrorists' hands when he makes such a big deal over Padillo and acts like thousands of lives have been saved because someone interested in making dirty bombs has been detained.