Much has been made of the bumbling nature of the attempted car bomber in New York's Times Square and innuendo is repeated endlessly about the suspect nearly slipping away to Dubai.
The bomber's ineptitude produced, if not a dud, at least a fizzle of a bomb.
But people should remember how many things went right in a very short amount of time.
For our side.
Terrorists may not have terrified us but they sure have made us more alert and infinitely more likely to take action when suspicious.
A Vietnam War veteran who sold T-shirts in Times Square, and another who sold pocketbooks, plus others who worked the area, alerted a mounted policeman to the oddity of a smoking SUV at the curb.
Soon, the massive police forces of New York descended on the scene.
The SUV was scoured for its vehicle identification number, foiling an attempt to disguise it. The previous owner was tracked down. The source of the stolen license tag was found.
Camera shots of Times Square were analyzed and some pictures good enough to use were found. A suspect was identified and his name immediately placed on a do-not-fly list.
An alert ticket agent's suspicions were aroused by a cash customer for an airline ticket.
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