  There is a debate raging right now about whether the Bush Administration is using "terrorist threats" in order to intimidate the American voters into supporting President Bush over the challenger, John Kerry. In his press conference announcing that DHS was raising the terrorist alert level, Tom Ridge said: "This afternoon we do have new and unusually specific information about where al-Qaida would like to attack. " Specifically: "Reports indicate that al-Qaida is targeting several specific buildings, including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in the District of Columbia, Prudential Financial in northern New Jersey, and Citigroup buildings and the New York Stock Exchange in New York. " Certainly, this was done in the interest of American safety, correct? Certainly, the Department of Homeland Security would not be calling a press conference in order to point out that President Bush is tougher on terrorism than John Kerry? "But we must understand that the kind of information available to us today is the result of the president's leadership in the war against terror. " That certainly doesn't prove that this is all smoke and mirrors intended to promote Bush as the better candidate against terror, especially with the new and unusually specific intelligence about a terrorist attack against US financial services.
The urlLink Washington Post casts some doubt, however, to the "newness" of the information: "Most of the al Qaeda surveillance of five financial institutions that led to a new terrorism alert Sunday was conducted before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and authorities are not sure whether the casing of the buildings has continued, numerous intelligence and law enforcement officials said yesterday.
More than half a dozen government officials interviewed yesterday, who declined to be identified because classified information is involved, said that most, if not all, of the information about the buildings seized by authorities in a raid in Pakistan last week was about three years old, and possibly older. " Another classic bungling by the Bush Administration. In an attempt to showcase how strong the President is against terror, he actually showcased that we are at least three years behind the curve. 
