A four-story building on Madison Avenue in Manhattan has
collapsed after a very loud explosion was heard that reverberated
around the neighborhood. CNN's Larry King, who was staying in a
hotel nearby, is quoted as saying he has never heard such a sound.
With amazing rapidity, the White House has ruled out terrorism.
Maybe they're right, and maybe they already have irrefutable
information that rules terrorism out as a cause, but the
announcement seems more than a little over-eager to me. It seems to
indicate that our top priority is not offending the enemy.
