'Terrorist attack' on Las Vegas canceled: Politics over preparedness?
At Sen. Harry Reid's request, the Obama administration canceled a mock 'dirty bomb' terrorist attack exercise in Las Vegas. Critics say the administration is playing politics with national preparedness, but others say a shift to secret surprise tests is a better way to prepare for the worst.
One thing is definite about this year's federal play-acting exercise to assess national emergency preparedness: A faux radioactive nuke, or "dirty bomb," will not be blowing up the Las Vegas Strip in May.
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Reminiscent of Stephen King's "The Stand" featuring a similar cataclysmic showdown in Vegas, the preparedness exercise proved too much for many Nevadans, already battered by a poor economy and worried about a PR nightmare.
Sen. Harry Reid (D) of Nevada, in the midst of battling for the White House's healthcare reforms, wrote late last year that to "simulate a nuclear detonation in the heart of the city would unacceptably harm the Southern Nevadan economy."
More recently, President Obama had rankled Nevadans when he suggested that gambling on the Vegas Strip wasn’t the wisest move “when you’re trying to save for college." When Senator Reid complained about the comment, Mr. Obama was quick to apologize.
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