A Week of Mixed Messages About al Qaeda

This is not a complicated series of events. But look where the Bush Administration's terror message has taken us this week:

1. On Tuesday, the incompetent hatchet-man Michael Chertoff told the Chicago Tribune that he has a 'gut feeling' that al Queda is planning a major summer attack. You know, like 9/11. Aside from not caring how this man's stomach is feeling, this is correctly interpreted as an intentional sound byte from the Bush administration to re-plant seeds of fear in the public. Most people ignored this, considering it is came from a man who couldn't foresee the levees breaking in New Orleans, and appaently did nothing when they did break.

2. On Wednesday, a new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) was either leaked or rushed to the press, entitled, al Qaeda Better Positioned to Strike the West. The White House responded by calling an emergency counterterrorism meeting for Thursday.

3. On Thursday morning, Michael Chertoff appeared on Good Morning America to downplay the report and what he said on Tuesday. As if anyone is listening to a word he says.

4. Then president Bush announces that he is holding a press conference Thursday morning at 10:30, to discuss the latest report which details that the Iraqi government is behind or is failing on at least 10 of the 18 goals we defined for them in January legislation. Surely, he will also remind us of why we must remain in Iraq, so we don't have to fight 'the enemy' here.

Enemy? Well, in Bushworld, there is only one enemy - the axis of evil, the evildoers. But as the brave and objective Michael Ware explains to AC, it is enemies. There are at least four distinct groups that are attacking us and Iraqi civilians. Bush sees a world of black vs. white, and one-on-one conflicts. But that's not reality.