Bomb plot at Falwell funeral

The funeral today for right-wing televangelist Jerry Falwell, who died suddenly last week at age 73, was a notable event on several counts.

For starters, thousands of admirers turned out for the services at Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., a testimony to the loyalty of his most devout followers.

But the throng was conspicuous for its absence of any major Republican players. Not one of the GOP's 10 presidential candidates, many of whom are eager to court the religious right, could find time in his schedule to get to the funeral.

The White House sent only a mid-level munchkin named Tim Goegelein. President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and all the other administration biggies apparently had other priorities. Nor were there any members of Congress there.

There were some anti-Falwell types outside the church, registering their disapproval of the man's controversial declarations over the years.

Oh, and there was one other element that lent the whole affair a big extra helping of drama: Mark D. Uhl, a 19-year-old student at Falwell's college, Liberty University, was arrested with a bunch of homemade bombs in his car that he allegedly had planned to use against the anti-Falwell protesters.

The cops reportedly are looking for three other suspected conspirators in the alleged bomb plot, one of whom was said to be a soldier from Fort Benning, Ga.

ABC News has the story here.

UPDATE: The comments on the ABC Web site this evening include this beauty from somebody who objects to the network reporting the matter of the alleged bomb plot. (One wonders if this person majored in English at Liberty U.):

25 years ago I was a student at Falwells University. It is a shame that one nut makes all of the alumni and friends of Jerry Falwell out to be some type of wacko. Most of the alumni are great citizens all across the country. Shame on ABC for leading with this story instead of Falwells funeral. Fox News at least if fair and balanced. ABC and most other national media are bias. It seems that Christians are the only people in the country who being politically correct towards is not practiced.

By the way, the Fox News Web site also was leading with the bomb-plot story. So much for its difference from the media that are "bias."