Ridge defends 'three-year-old" terror alert

[Cocoa]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5860484

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The decision to warn key U.S. financial centers they may be attacked by al Qaeda was based largely on three-year old information, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said on Tuesday, but he insisted the threat was still real.

Ridge's appearance in New York at the Citigroup building named on Sunday as a potential al Qaeda target came as U.S. terrorism intelligence has come under fire again, this time for forcing police in New York, Washington and New Jersey to massively increase security based on old information.

"I don't want anyone to disabuse themselves of the seriousness of this information simply because there are some reports that much of it is dated, it might be two or three years old," Ridge said.

But he insisted al Qaeda had updated its surveillance of financial buildings, "as recently as January this year."

more...

[D-Notice]

1. "Based largely on three-year old information"

So.. it was timed to distract people from the Democratic Convention...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. The threat has been real for three years

Why are communities suffering for funds to hire police?
Why are we in Iraq if the threat is here?
Why have we been concentrating on securing oil wells in Iraq while Tuwaitha remained unguarded?
Why?

[shockingelk]

24. Ridge notes we live in a "post-Madrid envoronment"

This is from July 8. Shorter: these frequent terror briefings are political.

Question: Secretary Ridge, one question I have deals with timing.  There has been a steady stream of this kind of information coming in since, roughly, March, or so.  Why now?  Why give all of these briefings at this particular point?
Secretary Ridge:  Why?  I'm sorry.  I didn't --

Question:   Why give all of these briefings at this particular point and time?

Secretary Ridge:   Well, actually, we started this process several months ago, and I think there was a -- I gave a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters some time ago.  I thought that in the post-Madrid environment, it would be very important on a periodic basis to, frankly, just give Americans an update as to where we are and what we are doing, and you can fully anticipate that in the weeks and months ahead, we will ask you to convene again for another update.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=3810

[joefree1]

3. Bad news for repukes, this story has got "legs"

Top of the page on Google news:

Information leading to US terror alert was years old: reports
Xinhua - 2 hours ago
¡¡WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Much of the information that led the US government in recent days to raise the terror alert for five financial centers in New York City, northern New Jersey and Washington was three or four years old, media reports ...
Material Behind New US Alert Is Years Old Reuters
What the US papers say Guardian
The Scotsman - San Francisco Chronicle - New York Daily News - Seattle Post Intelligencer - and 450 related"

[Ripley]

4. That scares me.

"Severe...Please board trains."

:scared:

[benburch]

7. It should. nt

[joefree1]

15. More

U.S. »
CNNNew terror warning based on pre-9/11 al Qaeda surveillance
CNN - 35 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Al Qaeda surveillance of possible terror targets in three US cities occurred before September 11, 2001, but there was an indication of reconnaissance updates as recently as January, Bush administration officials said Tuesday.
Ridge defends basing terror alert on old information Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription)
Ridge Defends Data as Recently Updated Washington Post
Toronto Star - Reuters - Channel News Asia - Bloomberg - and 1387 related »

[saigon68]

17. They Have "showers arranged " at the first Train Stop

Move along---

[saracat]

23. No stories about them have "legs"

The media will defend them. Better late than never is what they said.We must guard against false hope.

[0007]

5. Reuter is such a propaganda rag I can't believe 'em!

Are we gonna start guarding each and every apartment complex now that we'd been told by Jose Padilla, that it was al Qaeda plan to target Apartments?

Goddamnit! Why do I keep forgetting? It is mostly poor folks that live in apartments. Finance Institutions is where wealthy people keep their bees and honey and in hopes of making more money.

[yellowcanine]

6. "simply because there are some reports that much of it is dated" Nice

nondenial Tommy. How does it feel to be so far in over your head that you are sucking up fish feces?

[Ripley]

9. They sure are wringing him out before they discard him.

What did he even do as HS Director? And if we are at such risk these days, how the hell can he quit in the middle of a Terrorist threat? Oh yeah, like Tenet. They all quit at a time when we most need that person. Well, maybe not. Maybe we don't need anyone running these departments. But isn't it odd?

[maxrandb]

29. Why is the Director of Homeland (tm) Security allowed to be

a shill for *? Is Homeland Security a non-partisan department or what? And yet, there was Tommy Boy out shilling for the pResident the other day. I swear to god, all you needed was soft patriotic background music and you could have mistaken his little "terra" warning as one of those slick * infomercials! GRRR!

Oh well. I guess Hitler's Director of Homeland Security took his orders from the fuhrer as well. Oops!

[Manix]

8. I would like to know when Ridge got the order from Rove to go ahead.

[BrotherBuzz]

10. Saturday night is my guess (well, after the bars closed)

Can't have Sunday talking heads waxing poetically about Kerry's acceptance speech. No, can't have that!

[Terran]

11. I wanna know

WTF Ridge means by al Quaeda has "updated" their intelligence as recently as January? How do you know that? And if you know that, it means *our* intelligence is also that recent, or more recent. But he didn't *say* that. I swear, the man is a master of the hedge.

[cthrumatrix]

12. he's in deep shit, playing politics with peoples emotions...it will

backfire and he will always be known as a liar

[aquart]

14. He'll always have a cushy corporate sector job.

To keep him quiet.

[MODemocrat]

26. Most people in the Bush Administration, including Bush are L i a r s.

Seems strange to me that the news media does not want to talk about this; but they sure as hell do pick up on every word that Theresa Heinz K. has to say: "Four more years of Hell"?
:argh: :grr:

[Francine Frensky]

13. Is this alert aimed at three-year-olds? Is there a toddler on the loose

that should terrify us all????

That's a great headline.

[Chimpeach]

20. LOL

good one!

[MallRat]

16. My son is only two years old. Does that mean he's safe?

:-)

[Beetwasher]

18. I Love That They Are Being FORCED TO DENY that it's All About Politics

The more they deny it, the more press it gets and the more people will think it IS all about politics...Ha Ha!

[UpInArms]

19. using this terra "alert" should merely

show what fools are at the helm.

This information is 3-4 years old?

My, my, my.

Should we have been alerted prior to 9/11?

perhaps these are the keys to that.

They sure as hell don't unlock any doors now.

idiots.... :mad:

[KittyWampus]

21. Too Bad Ridge Can't Defend His Plug For Junior's Presidency Yesterday

right towards the end of his little speech... Ridge gives a bald campaign plug for Junior.

[LuminousX]

22. Is this the 'alert' that should have been issued for 9/11?

[Zhade]

25. Now THAT is a question that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

Is it, indeed?

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

27. News Flash!!!!!!

The Dodgers have moved to Los Angeles. Oh wait, that was years ago. Ummmmmmm,,,,,,,,,,

[wishlist]

28. Wasn't there some info over a week ago about U.S. asking Pakistan

to try to bring in a high level Al Queida operative before the end of July? U.S. specifically wanted an arrest to be made July 27, 28 or 29, according to an article linked here on DU last week. Then when (sure enough) an arrest was made public Thursday (before Kerry's speech), the media didn't pay much attention to the arrest until Bushco began issuing the terror warnings Saturday.

There was a reporter covering this from Pakistan on CNN earlier this afternoon and I believe he said that Pakistan had been working on this information for SEVERAL WEEKS.

Possible that Pakistan actually made the arrest and found out details about the terrorist targets weeks ago but U.S. wanted them to sit on it until last weekend, knowing that it was old info and not specific as to an immediate attack. The whole thing smells of politics also because of Bushco arranging for Laura and the Busch twins to appear at the Citicorp building yesterday.