Bet On The Locals
This column was written by CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.
The fight between the Bloomberg administration here in New York and the Department of Homeland Security has been pretty interesting to watch. Especially if you live here and you carry a Metro card – the thing you swipe when you go through the subway turnstile.
Last Thursday, the mayor stood with New York cops and the FBI and said there was a specific terrorist threat aimed at the New York transit system. As New York's finest began to flood subway platforms all over the city, the Department of Homeland Security said the threat was not credible.
If you live here you had a choice: bet on the locals or the people who brought you the oh-so-effective color-coded warning system. I asked a terrorism expert about that last week and he said go with the NYPD.
Some in the city said Mayor Bloomberg was doing it to bolster his re-election campaign. That's a pretty cynical view. And frankly not even I am that cynical.
Harry's daily commentary can be heard on manyCBS Radio News affiliates across the country.