[EdLake]

...thanks in no small part to the fact that everyone thought they had their guy in Hatfill and turned out to be wrong.

I've seen no indications that anyone who thought that Dr. Hatfill sent the anthrax letters has changed his or her mind.

In March of last year, "60 Minutes" did a show where they basically said that Dr. Hatfill was getting away with it and would probably collect a big settlement as payment from the Bush administration. Just a few days ago, The Los Angeles Times seemed to be suggesting something along that same line:

By settling with Hatfill, the government would all but dispel the possibility that he might ever be charged for the deadly mailings.

In a way, it might be a good thing for the trial to take place after the new president has been sworn in. Assuming it's a Democrat, and assuming that even if they start the trial in December, they won't get much farther than picking the jury by January 20, it will help make it VERY clear to the world that Dr. Hatfill is innocent if the trial ends in his favor during a Democratic administration.

Ed at www.anthraxinvestigation.com

[jpl]

It wouldn't surprise me much if many members of the big media are still hoping against all hope that Hatfill will eventually be charged with something, if for no other reason that they don't want to be in the position where they're forced to admit that they blew it once again.

And no doubt they want no part of another big settlement like the one with Wen Ho Lee. They don't want this sort of thing to become a precedent every time they screw up to this magnitude.