You response goes way beyond what I wrote, Tom, relax.

al Qaida's "position" on the election matters to the extent that it will determine whether or not they attack us again before November. That seems like a pretty legitimate motive to try and suss-out where they're coming from.

Bush has staked his reelection on his handling of the war on terror. That makes it not just reasonable but compulsory to put every Administration statement on the subject under the microscope and to judge just how far they must be discounted because of politics.

The fact that al Qaida has, in the past, spent years planning their operations can't be taken as a guarantee that in the future they can't react fast if they want to. They seem as obsessed as NASA with avoiding failure, but I wouldn't for a minute assume they won't take greater risks if the prize seems worth it.