I thought we were fighting them over there because... because...

This morning's newsflash from CNN:

BE AFRAID! (OK, that's not quite it... although close.)

"Al Qaeda is the strongest it has been since the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a new U.S. government analysis concludes, according to a senior government official who has seen it."

Well gee, that's just ducky. (And nice use of government propaganda, CNN! You really are competing with Fox for top propaganda honors, aren't you? A 'senior government official who has seen it?' Please.)

So apparently all of this 'war in Iraq' business has done nothing at all to make us safer; but has in fact looted our coffers and destroyed our military for... nothing at all?

They're going to fight us over here anywhere? Terrific.

It seems Al Qaeda is thriving! And with GOPers like Rick Santorum blabbing on about how a little domestic terrorism will somehow wake us all up (and make us appreciate our war,) I have to ask the good gentleman Santorum... wake us up from what, exactly? We're not exactly asleep out here. We're waiting for you guys to do something about Bin Laden. We're wondering if and when you ever plan to actually go after that growing safe-nest of Al Qaeda operatives and apparently training camps headquartered in Pakistan.

So? Well? What -- no oil interests in Pakistan?

Santorum, on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, implied that terror attacks will occur inside America some time this summer, and that they will somehow 'alter the body politic' and lead to a reversal of the anti-war sentiment now dominating the country.

“Between now and November, a lot of things are going to happen, and I believe that by this time next year, the American public’s going to have a very different view of this war, and it will be because, I think, of some unfortunate events, that like we’re seeing unfold in the UK. But I think the American public’s going to have a very different view,” said the former senator from Pennsylvania.

Mr Santorum: WRONG. If anything, we will demand that our military be withdrawn from an obviously UNSUCCESSFUL WAR, since it isn't doing what you told us it would do... keep them from swimming across the ocean and attacking us here at home. You can't have it both ways. Either we're safer because of your war... of we're outta there.

You have to love our Homeland Security guru, Michael Chertoff's 'gut feeling' that we will be attacked by Al Qaeda soon, in spite of the White House's insistance that they have no information about this (like that would make anyone feel safe -- they had all sorts of information about 9/11 before it happened but chose to ignore it.)

"I believe we are entering a period this summer of increased risk," Chertoff told the Chicago Tribune's editorial board in an unusually blunt and frank assessment of America's terror threat level.

"Summertime seems to be appealing to them," he said of al-Qaeda. "We do worry that they are rebuilding their activities."

Still, Chertoff said there are not enough indications of an imminent plot to raise the current threat levels nationwide. And he indicated that his remarks were based on "a gut feeling" formed by past seasonal patterns of terrorist attacks, recent al-Qaeda statements, and intelligence he did not disclose.

There is an assessment "not of a specific threat, but of increased vulnerability," he added.

There have been reports already that suggest intelligence warnings at a similar level to the summer before Sept. 11, 2001 and that al-Qaeda may be mobilizing.

A gut feeling, sir? I'm sorry, but that's all you've got to offer us?

I thought you were supposed to have facts; tangible information? If I want to trust my life to someone's 'gut feeling' I'll stick with Alison on NBC's 'Medium;' she seems a little more adept at this 'feeling' thing.

UPDATE: It's now night, and once again, another 'CNN Breaking News' BE AFRAID! email. Surely the terrorists are at the door if I've received two of these in one day:

Al Qaeda is stepping up efforts to sneak terrorists into the U.S. and has rebuilt most of its capability to strike here, an intelligence estimate states, according to The Associated Press.

Funny, nothing much from CNN about the constitutional standoff in the Senate. Interesting, eh?

And I still don't get how telling us Al Qaeda is stepping up its activities is supposed to make me more supportive of this war 'over there' that was supposed to have kept Al Qaeda from ever stepping up their activities over here. In fact - if anything, this is making me want my military back over here where it can protect us.

This is simple logic. I'm sorry illogical Neocon guys... I was a computer programmer for 20 years. You're gonna have to make some sense.