McCartney Update -- Gerry, you sly fox....

Slate has a long article on the McCartney affair by Scott MacMillan. It contains the astounding assertion, by Ed Moloney, that Gerry Adams approved the raid on the Northern Bank in downtown Belfast, knowing full well that,

the ensuing outrage would force the hand of the hard-liners in his midst, leaving them with a stark choice: Either go back to war, a political non-starter in the post-9/11 world, or, if republicans are to preserve the credibility they have gained both on the island and in London and Washington, lay down their arms for good.

If this is the case, Machiavelli has been dethroned. We have a new champion of manipulative duplicity in Gerry Adams. Still, MacMillan notes, it would explain why Tony Blair is still talking to Adams, even if Bush and Kennedy aren't.

Read the article here.