We have met Big Brother and he is... us.

Rice urged Americans to remain vigilant, calling the public "the first line of defense" against attacks. "There have been many cases in which Americans who were alert to suspicious circumstances around them have been able to tip law enforcement officials," she said.

Um.... yeah - like that waitress in Georgia.

"(The president) does not begin his day on Iraq. He begins his day on the war on terrorism and the threat levels and the threat information that we have in the United States," Rice said. - and then proceeded to illustrate that "threat levels" = Iraq.

Sometimes these sound bites are more revealing than their originators intend.