This is a question for CargoCult, or anyone else who has been covering the corporate angle on this story: has anyone ever put together a good look at the corporate involvement in this anthrax case?

I have seen lots of discussion here and elsewhere but never seen the story pulled together insofar as Batelle, Biotech, and other companies are involved. Anyone got a good link?

PS: Having read the transcript, this is just more empty huff and puff from a BushCo stooge. These GOP and Dem senators all wanna look good, but when it comes to the crunch Grassley will cop out like they all do, every time. Glenn's faith in the Congressional approach is admirable, but I find it impossible to share any more. More's the pity.

Apologies for not having listened to the interview yet (off to work) but I hope you guys discussed the latest news (link at my sig) that the FBI destroyed critical evidence and had to rely on Dr Paul Keim's sample:

FBI officials admitted Monday that destroying the initial Ivins sample was a mistake, but said it didn't really hinder the investigation because the technique used to trace the source of the anthrax to Ivins had not been developed yet. Luckily, a copy of that first sample was sent to an outside professor, who years later used it to help further link Ivins to the killer strain.

Another gaping hole in the FBI's case, I would think. And another good reason to demand some accountability from Robert Mueller and his mob.

Tom Engelhardt has a few good questions on this case today (link at my sig below) including:

Why wasn’t the Bush administration’s War on Terror modus operandi applied to the anthrax case?

For example, 911 suspects were shipped to secret gulags and tortured, sometimes to death. Why not anthrax suspects?

Another point worth making here: IF the anthrax investigation is NOT a cover-up, then why has nobody in a position of responsibility been held accountable? I mean, surely somebody in authority should have been sacked by now, if not arrested and charged, for: (a) letting Ivins develop the anthrax, and (b) letting him then keep working at the lab for so long, even helping in the investigation, and (c) botching the FBI investigation over such a long period?

As always, nobody is ever held accountable for seemingly massive "mistakes" in BushWorld (remember that "Bin Laden determined to strike" NIE?). One can be excused for assuming that everybody, including Fort Detrick supervisors and FBI head Robert Mueller, did exactly what they were told. Medals of Honor on the way soon, no doubt.

Finally, like others here, I suspect that questions from Glenn and other bloggers are what the FBI is responding to with their contradictory updates and leaks. Ironically, this online debate may actually be playing to the FBI's advantage here (assuming they are just trying to shut down the case rather than find the real perps). If the FBI can keep updating their story whenever someone spots a new hole in it, one day they might have something ready to present to the public: not an airtight case, of course, but something with minimal holes in it. It seems pretty obvious that's all they want.