Real Threat Or Politics Of Distraction?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
Date: August 12, 2005 8:24:02 AM EDT
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Real Threat Or Politics Of Distraction?


I remember someone did a study that showed a new terror threat alert  
being
issued whenever Bush's poll numbers sank.....it was a few pages, but was
well-researched and I think came out in 2002 or 2003........but this is
another example of that phenomenon in action.    -rf


Real Threat Or Politics Of Distraction?

http://crawfordslist.blogspot.com/

Here we go again. The President's polls are down, anti-war sentiment is
growing, and it's summer time. Get your August terror alerts while they
last.

Breaking News (hours after President Bush reacts to Protester Mom):

    Citing "uncorroborated intelligence," the FBI warns that al- 
Qaida cells
might use fuel trucks as weapons to attack Los Angeles, New York and
Chicago. "Though intelligence bulletins usually describe how reliable  
the
information is, this one carried no such statement. The warning has  
not been
substantiated, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on
condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. The
intelligence originated from FBI headquarters in Washington. It was not
immediately clear why the bulletin was sent without details on its
reliability." -- Associated Press (Aug. 12, 2005)

Last August (3 days after the Democratic National Convention):

    "Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge warned of possible Al Qaeda
terrorist attacks to financial institutions in New York City,  
Washington and
Newark, N.J. The information was obtained in the past 36 to 72 hours,
officials said Sunday, increasing anxieties about a potential strike.  
The
Bush administration let a 24-hour news cycle pass before making clear  
that
most of the intelligence, while recently obtained, was three or four  
years
old. 'I am concerned that every time something happens that's not  
good for
President Bush, he plays this trump card, which is terrorism,' former
Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean said."-- Associated Press
(Aug. 4, 2004)

For more background on terror alert politics, see "Ridge Reveals  
Clashes On
Alerts" -- USA TODAY (May 10, 2005) -- shown below:


> Ridge reveals clashes on alerts
> By Mimi Hall, USA TODAY
> WASHINGTON — The Bush administration periodically put the USA on  
> high alert
> for terrorist attacks even though then-Homeland Security chief Tom  
> Ridge
> argued there was only flimsy evidence to justify raising the threat  
> level,
> Ridge now says.
>
> Ridge, who resigned Feb. 1, said Tuesday that he often disagreed with
> administration officials who wanted to elevate the threat level to  
> orange, or
> "high" risk of terrorist attack, but was overruled.
>
> His comments at a Washington forum describe spirited debates over  
> terrorist
> intelligence and provide rare insight into the inner workings of  
> the nation's
> homeland security apparatus.
>
> Ridge said he wanted to "debunk the myth" that his agency was  
> responsible for
> repeatedly raising the alert under a color-coded system he unveiled  
> in 2002.
>
> "More often than not we were the least inclined to raise it," Ridge  
> told
> reporters. "Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence  
> assessment. Sometimes
> we thought even if the intelligence was good, you don't necessarily  
> put the
> country on (alert). ... There were times when some people were really
> aggressive about raising it, and we said, 'For that?' "
>
> Revising or scrapping the color-coded alert system is under review  
> by new
> Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff. Department spokesman  
> Brian
> Roehrkasse said "improvements and adjustments" may be announced  
> within the
> next few months.
>
> The threat level was last raised on a nationwide scale in December  
> 2003, to
> orange from yellow — or "elevated" risk — where the alert level is  
> now. In
> most cases, Ridge said Homeland Security officials didn't want to  
> raise the
> level because they knew local governments and businesses would have  
> to spend
> money putting temporary security upgrades in place.
>
> "You have to use that tool of communication very sparingly," Ridge  
> said at the
> forum, which was attended by seven other former department leaders.
>
> The level is raised if a majority on the President's Homeland Security
> Advisory Council favors it and President Bush concurs. Among those  
> on the
> council with Ridge were Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI chief  
> Robert
> Mueller, CIA director George Tenet, Defense Secretary Donald  
> Rumsfeld and
> Secretary of State Colin Powell.
>
> Ridge and Ashcroft publicly clashed over how to communicate threat  
> information
> to the public. But Ridge has never before discussed internal  
> dissention over
> the threat level.
>
> The color-coded system was controversial from the start. Polls  
> showed the
> public found it confusing.
>
> Contributing: Associated Press
>
> R




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