Riding the Ridge of politics

On the terror alerts issued yesterday, based on three to four year old information:

One top GOP operative, who works closely with Bush's political team, said the White House appeared to overplay its hand, and voters may smell politics behind the warning. A senior U.S. intelligence official said there is no doubt that the United States is in constant danger, but he was concerned enough about the timing of the announcement to ask colleagues in a weekend meeting, "Why? Why now? Why are we raising alarms about this now?"


The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution from the White House.

And this via Atrios:

Today:

"We don't do politics in the Department of Homeland Security."

Two Days Ago, August 1, 2004:

"But we must understand that the kind of information available to us today is the result of the President's leadership in the war against terror. The reports that have led to this alert are the result of offensive intelligence and military operations overseas, as well as strong partnerships with our allies around the world, such as Pakistan. Such operations and partnerships give us insight into the enemy so we can better target our defensive measures here and away from home."