"Dean Sees Red Over Code Orange"

Dr. Dean spoke out on CNN. "I am concerned that every time something happens that's not good for President Bush, he plays this trump card, which is terrorism," he said. "It's just impossible to know how much of this is real and how much of this is politics, and I suspect there's some of both in it."

Two days after the Ridge press conference, the truth about the "new" threat leaked out. On the front pages of The New York Times and The Washington Post, various unnamed officials revealed that the data cited by Mr. Ridge was actually "three or four years old." According to the newspapers, there is no fresh evidence of a planned assault by Al Qaeda on East Coast financial institutions.

That doesn't mean Osama bin Laden's minions won't try to strike the buildings they surveyed years ago. Vigilance is imperative. But as one senior law-enforcement official confided to the Post, there was no clear reason for Mr. Ridge to hit the "orange" button last Sunday.

Full Article : commondreams.org