4.Ivins' concern over unapproved vaccine. It's clear Ivins was seriously anxious about the FDA's failure to approve the vaccine, and believed his job and his whole lab's future was in jeopardy. The fact that, as a result of the attacks, the vaccine was approved (and Ivins received an award for his related work) at least provides a simple, easy-to-understand motive consistent with Ivins' state of mind at the time of the attacks.

Yes, I did it again -- I am lobbying Salon to upgrade the design of their website to encourage more useful discussion, more visitors and more stickiness. It's in both their interest and our interest to do so. I am noticing that many important points about the Ivins case are falling through the cracks here amidst the scattershot comments, and are not being developed in an effective way. There is no reason to accept the status quo here without offering some helpful suggestions. Smart websites listen carefully to this kind of feedback.

I just took a look at Table Talk, recommended by Susan -- better software, yes, but there appears to be more useful posts being awkwardly shoehorned into the comments interface here.

(Note: I am in regular touch with developers who are trying to figure out how to integrate ALL the discussion on the Internet on all topics in an optimal fashion. If you want to follow any of the discussion on this issue, check out Friendfeed.com)

A few comments:

1 - yes, it would be nice if there were evidence placing Ivins at the mailbox in NJ at the time the letters were mailed but the absence of this doesn't mean he didn't do it, or that someone else did it, it simply means he didn't leave any evidence of his having been there. If there were proof he was in Timbuktu on those dates, on the other hand, THAT would mean someone else HAD to have done it...

2 - I'm not bothered by lack of evidence of anthrax on swabs from various places. That's the whole point of containment in the lab! Whether or not you want to use anthrax as a weapon you don't want to be taking it home with you. There are protocols that everyone working under those kind of biohazard conditions follows precisely to keep the stuff contained, not on their clothes, in their car, whatever. Same with the lyophilizer -- it would be a simple matter to decontaminate that. If not, I wouldn't want to be the next one to borrow it after the folks over in the anthrax labs were using it!

3 - Glenn's letter re: FBI's less sensitive identification of the anthrax strain vs. the NAU group is based on a scientific misunderstanding -- the NAU group used 50 markers; the FBI group, thanks to recent technological advances, was able to obtain COMPLETE genome sequence for the strains involved and found 4 informative differences which precisely identified the strain. The technology the FBI used is far more sensitive and wasn't available to the NAU group in 2001-2.

4 - I agree, the supposed similarity of language in the emails and the anthrax letters is not at all compelling.

While circumstantial, I find the evidence sufficiently compelling to think Ivins did it, and did it alone. Which is not to say that the the investigation wasn't mishandled and the whole situation exploited by the neocons to lead us to war and deprive us of civil liberties...

John McCain would have put on a bandillero, a red scarf headband, some grease stains and stage sweat, grabbed a Stinger missile to put under his arm, and said "I'm the candidate who can keep you safe. Do you feel lucky, punk?" (while his wife, dressed in nothing but black leather chaps and tattoos, did the hokey-pokey with a banana). ;-}

Score!

Off to put my keyboard through the dishwasher. I think I've got a spare around somewhere.

What would the media narrative have been if the suicide was not followed by the massive leak campaign and the hasty release of documents?

This occurred within weeks of Hatfill's multi-million dollar award.

Perhaps: Toll from FBI's botched anthrax investigation may now include a life Cursed investigation that has cost millions in expenses, $5.8 million in damages, nearly seven years, and untold damage to the FBI's reputation may now claim a suicide under suspicions of FBI harassment

Yes, I did it again -- I am lobbying Salon to upgrade the design of their website to encourage more useful discussion, more visitors and more stickiness. It's in both their interest and our interest to do so.

Yes, you are lobbying Salon. I hope you win. It would not even take an upgrade of this site, only the addition of a few features or areas.

First, what about a political wiki available for the rare times, such as this, that a group is trying to unravel a mystery.

Second, an off the self set of forum software separate from the comments section. You leave messages for Glenn in the comments, and you have discussions in the forum section.

But as simple as these two ideas are, the benefits to Salon need to be identified before they will consider it. After all, how important are all the non-paid people who are here just because of Greenwald?

Benefits for Salon: more traffic. Generally websites seek to maximize their traffic.

heru-ur: I love your idea about an associated wiki. We need to see all the important facts about the Ivins case (for instance) organized in a way that makes them easy to understand, analyze and data mine. Presently many important facts about the case are being buried in the confused jumble here.

Sorry but the FBI is supposed to investigate not conduct psy-ops. They've been doing this for years and it needs to be addressed. When they engage in "bumper surviellence", trailing a suspect as closely as possible in order to pressure him rather than covertly observe his movements, then it's clear that they aren't interested in amassing evidence they're just trying to manipulate behavior. When they attempt to take away a person's support system of friends and family and engage in systematic character assaination by using the nexus of government power and media power then we're simply breeding a junior Cheka. Whether the FBI is being pressured or not here isn't any reason to let them off the hook.