Benefit of the Doubt

The possibility of terrorist attacks is obviously serious business, and because of the seriousness of it, I've decided to give the bastards in the White House the benefit of the doubt, even while being aware that what they have earned is suspicion, not trust.

There are many people who believe that George W. Bush would politicize terror. They believe that for a very good reason: he already HAS. So I almost feel bad about giving them the benefit of the doubt, but, believing it to be necessary, I have.

But then I see this:

"Reports: Material Behind New U.S. Alert Is Years Old

Much of the information obtained by al Qaeda that led the United States to raise terror alerts in Washington and New York was at least three years old, and U.S. officials are unsure if the group's surveillance continues, according to published reports on Tuesday.

The Washington Post and The New York Times reported in Tuesday editions that officials were still analyzing documents seized late last month after a raid in Pakistan that showed al Qaeda surveillance of specific U.S. targets.

Much of the information that resulted from the arrest was compiled before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, The New York Times reported, citing intelligence and law enforcement officials.

Federal authorities said they are unsure whether al Qaeda's surveillance continues, the newspapers reported.

"You could say that the bulk of this information is old, but we know that al Qaeda collects, collects, collects until they're comfortable," a senior government official was quoted in the Times as saying. "Only then do they carry out an operation. And there are signs that some of this may have been updated or may be more recent."

So I don't see much choice but to behave as though I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt while mentally being suspicious as hell of their actions and motives.

Only one thing is certain:

If there really IS danger, these clowns are the LAST people you want in charge.