Some questions are hard to answer, but not this

one. For anyone with a child's understanding

of the Law of Cause and Effect, America hasn't

been attacked since 9/11 because Slate was

created by Michael Kinsley in 1996 and Timothy

Noah has been investigating this question ever

since he repudiated a Slate column he wrote in

2003, advocating the invasion of Iraq, in a Slate

column he wrote a year later, in 2004, admitting he

had been played the fool by Colin Powell and the

Bush Administration. Timothy is now producing

the fruit of his lengthy investigation--eight Slate

essays--which, hopefully, he will be able to

complete before Osama bin Laden emerges

from his cave and attacks America again.