Unfortunately, I agree. There is almost no reason for the government to be doing the things it is doing regarding smallpox vaccinations if they didn't think it was an immediate threat.
They wouldn't think it was an immediate threat unless they believed that either al-Qaida had the weapon or Iraq intended to use it now.
The one possibility that could explain their actions, though, without there being an immediate threat, is the determination that we have to take out Saddam Hussein and that, at that point in time, he might use smallpox as a weapon. In that case, they're simply trying to be prepared well in advance.
I hope that's it instead of some information that someone infected with smallpox is attempting to seek entry into the country today.
Smallpox would be indiscriminate as to borders, religions, race, everything. A massive outbreak would quickly become a global problem.
So I'm wondering how it would serve terrorist ambitions to unleash smallpox on the U.S., when we have (or soon will have) vaccines for everyone. Third world countries - which also harbor the most fanatic of Muslim populations - would be the most devastatingly affected by smallpox, or any other communicable disease.
The Islamic terrorist nutcases would soon be recognized by the world (not to mention their own religion) as the most evil people in human history. And most of their destruction would boomerang right back to their own followers and families.