"The UK Herald is basically a tabloid, btw."
==
Well, what do you think of the NY Times reporting on the FBI director's statements?
Clearly AQ is still intent on striking the question is not if they try, but when and whether we will be successful in foiling the attack, as we have been so far.
===
F.B.I. Director Calls Attack Quite Likely
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/15/national/15FBI.html Published: January 15, 2004
ASHINGTON, Jan. 14 — The F.B.I. director, Robert S. Mueller III, said on Wednesday that terrorists would "quite probably" strike the United States again and that Al Qaeda remained a major threat despite the lowering of the nation's threat status last week.
"Al Qaeda would very much relish another high-profile attack within the United States in which numerous U.S. citizens would be killed," Mr. Mueller told reporters at a luncheon meeting sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor. "We have disrupted their capability, but there are still persons out there who have that capability."
The sobering assessment echoed comments that he and other officials like Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge have made in recent months.
After three weeks of intense concerns about the threat of a hijacked airliner or other terrorist attack, the Bush administration lowered the threat level on Friday to yellow, or "elevated" status.
But, Mr. Mueller said, "We are still in a position where we have substantial concern about an attack from Al Qaeda," based on intelligence from the United States and overseas. "We quite probably will at some point in time have another attack."
Mr. Mueller said he saw reason for optimism because of improved sharing and analysis of intelligence, cooperation from allies and the captures of leading Qaeda figures.
One would have to be a profound moron to claim that there will NEVER be another AQ attack ever again. What else would you expect the FBI director to say?
From glancing at the 10,000 post thread it's fairly clear it's largely driven by people who (largely subconsciously) are getting increasingly frustrated at the failure of AQ to do anything at all in the US for the last 2 1/2 years. And people certainly seem to enjoy wallowing in fear.
Did finally see someone explicitly call for the extermination of all Muslims on earth in that thread, something I think dozens and dozens think but manage to restrain themselves from posting.