First Door on the Left

We are now learning that the information that led to the new security alerts in D.C, New York and New Jersey yesterday is three to four years old.

Pre-9/11 Acts Led To Alerts

Most of the al Qaeda surveillance of five financial institutions that led to a new terrorism alert Sunday was conducted before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and authorities are not sure whether the casing of the buildings has continued since then, numerous intelligence and law enforcement officials said yesterday.

More than half a dozen government officials interviewed yesterday, who declined to be identified because classified information is involved, said that most, if not all, of the information about the buildings seized by authorities in a raid in Pakistan last week was about three years old, and possibly older.

“There is nothing right now that we’re hearing that is new,” said one senior law enforcement official who was briefed on the alert. “Why did we go to this level? . . . I still don’t know that.”

Note to “senior law enforcement official:” For the reason, you need look no further than right here:

Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry emerged from his national convention with a small lead over President Bush in the race for the White House and improved his standing against the president on the economy and who is better qualified to serve as commander in chief, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

It’s all politics and nothing more. We’re sure to see a lot more of this in the next three months. Far be it from me to blow my own horn, but what did I say yesterday? The more this administration lies, the easier it becomes for them to lie, and the more obvious their lies become.

Quote of the day:

Bush’s reelection depends entirely on willful ignorance. He might well ride the sea of ignorance right back into the White House. It would not be the first time Americans have chosen the demagogue over the competent.

But if you intend to vote for Bush, you should at least read the record and not depend on the Republican propaganda machine. The current Republican Party’s almost total reliance on character assassination, guilt by association and outright distortions of the truth remind one of what was going on in the 1930s in Europe. — Charley Reese

Another book to read: The Bush Betrayal by James Bovard.

This:

Bush also repeated another mantra, saying that as a result of his presidency, “America and the world are safer.”

Then this:

Security at financial sites in New York City, northern New Jersey and Washington, D.C., increased significantly Sunday after the Department of Homeland Security raised the terror threat level for those areas to orange, or high.

And this:

In the first significant attacks against Iraq’s Christian minority, assailants staged coordinated car bombings on Sunday evening near four churches in Baghdad and another in Mosul, in northern Iraq.

Yep, America and the world are definitely safer as a result of Mr. Bush’s presidency.

“Mr. Bush’s advisers plan to cap the month at the Republican convention in New York, which they said would feature Mr. Kerry as an object of humor and calculated derision.” (source)

These people are the very definition of class, aren’t they?

Too bad their guy doesn’t have a record he can run on. Perhaps if he did, they could spend the time at their convention talking about that instead of poking fun at the other guy.