ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

I continue to find it altogether remarkable that many conservatives and even many"libertarians," who don't trust the government to do much of anything very well on the domestic front, still believe that the same government has the wisdom to remake large portions of the globe, and to bring"democracy" to oppressed countries.

Well, they're probably right. Two years after 9/11, it seems that everything here in the United States is going just swimmingly:

In broad daylight on Sept. 11, 2003, somebody deposited what could have been a"dirty bomb" at the Washington Monument. U.S. Park Police never noticed.

It wasn't a real bomb, just a suspicious-looking black plastic bag stuffed with garbage. And the culprits weren't terrorists, but investigators from the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General, out to demonstrate the monument's vulnerability on that infamous anniversary.

As documented in photos and a memo obtained by The Reliable Source, the feds left the bag at the rear of the obelisk for 20 minutes, then moved it near a security checkpoint where tourists lined up to enter the landmark."Again, the unidentified bag sat there, undisrupted and unnoticed, for roughly 15 minutes," wrote Inspector General Earl E. Devaney in the memo, citing his"grave concerns for the security and public safety at these facilities."

No Park Police could be seen on patrol, except for one in an unmarked car who"appeared to be sound asleep," Devaney wrote.

Good to see such wonderful government efficiency and thoroughness in action.

I feel much, much safer -- and I'm very anxious to start planning trips to famous and prominent national monuments again, now that I know how well protected I will be.