the Greater Nomadic Council

Connect the Dots

Does the Bush administration play politics with the terror alerts? This post argues that they do by providing a long list of terror alerts along with the unpleasant news for the Bush administration at the time.

I'm not convinced. Although I'm regularly suspicious of their timing, given the preponderance of bad news for the Bush administration along with the relatively large number of alerts that have been issued, it seems completely unsurprising that many alerts would come shortly after unfavorable stories were reported. The list certainly is a good, suggestive starting point, but without a comprehensive list of all terror alerts along with a comprehensive list of bad news for Bush that has been ranked for the degree to which it might be expected to damage him, this topic can be nothing but speculation.

It may very well be true. In fact, I'd be a bit surprised to find out that this administration never timed its alerts for maximum political benefit, but this list does not confirm my suspicions. It's akin to asking a room full of people if anyone shares a birthday.