Wag the DHS
Guessing the political uses of conveniently timed terror alerts was a
fun parlor game in the nervous years between 9/11 and the invasion of
Iraq. Time to play again?
Incident, Date: Blue Alert #1, 07/08/2004: Al Qaeda "Moving Forward"
with plans for Large Scale U.S. attacks - announced 2 days after
Kerry's, VP pick produces bump in polls.
Incident, Date: Blue Alert #2, 07/30/2004: Arrest of terrorist Ahmed
Khalfan Ghailani, nabbed 5 days earlier - announced, Day after John
Kerry's convention speech
Incident, Date: Blue Alert #3, 08/01/04: Pending attacks on NYC Banks
Threat Level raised to Orange - announced just after the Democratic
convention.
Incident, Date: Sears Tower - 6/22/06: FBI Chief tells Larry King of
Black Muslim plot against Tower; later calls plot merely
"aspirational". - announced Day after NYT re****ts government searching
Americans' bank records.
Incident, Date: Holland Tunnel 07/07/06: Plot to blow up the NYC
tunnel; arrest made more than 2 months prior - announced Anniversary
of London bombing.
Incident, Date: Chertoff's "Gut Feeling" summer of '07 - DHS head says
he has a bad feeling; cheese bomb threats leaked two weeks later -
announced Day that Bush dusts off Iraq-9/11 "link" to boost sup****t
for surge.
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