The Cargo Planes Terrorist Threat: Dry Runs, or Failed Administration?

With all of the attention being played on the airwaves and net tubes about the supposed ‘dry run’ attack via packages on UPS flights, I have been working the ‘tubes to get a different read on what is likely going on.

Take a look at my bio. For the last several election seasons, I have been working areas where attacks and attempts were being ‘watched’ and followed; we were especially on the lookout for anything that would bring special attention and possibly affect elections and outcomes. This would have SERIOUSLY detrimental effects upon entire countries, possibly, and be almost impossible to prevent.

In 2004, up thru 2008, Iraq was the center point. Given that active combat was going on, and that we had nearly 200k troops in the area, any serious attempt against the US/coalition and/or Iraq would likely upset security around election locations and drive people from the polls, especially in ’04 and ’08 during the Presidential years. If you recall, the LANCET produced a ‘study’ that purported to prove that the US had killed over 800k Iraqi civilians; unfortunately for them, their timing was terrible and it didn’t produce the desired effect when they wanted it. In public perception operations (IO? Psyops?) timing is indeed everything.

In the case of what is transpiring today, notes that I have and conversations I’ve listened to are calling some things into question. To that, I must conclude that there is the possibility that this event/series of events are politically driven or motivated. Given that the upcoming election on Tuesday is so lop-sided in the polls, and that the consequences are so bad for the administration (hey, I’M not making this prediction- just read the news) there is the possibility, however remote, someone other than AQ is at work here.

For one, reports saying the packages are being tied to known AQ persons/groups in Yemen so soon after the attempts cause one to be suspect. ”This is too neat” I’m told- too easy to trace- like it was to be wrapped up in your average Law and Order episode.

AQ or the Taliban would NOT waste resources on a ‘dry run’ of this magnitude. If they really needed to ‘test’ this, they would have just shipped CD’s or something totally innocuous. From a different location- NOT blow their load on their HQ. No- something else is possibly at work here.

Could it be to make President Obama look ‘presidential’? To make his lackluster base more ‘supportive’ and head to the polls? I’m not putting this past anyone in the admin- or those supportive of him. It’s too easy to do. It’s almost like the Al Qaeda guys at work here were trying to get caught- which, if this was the ‘real deal’ or even a dry-run, they would not have made it so overt.

I’m not saying our guys on watch were not doing their jobs and this was something easy to do- no sirree. What I am saying is that it required far less effort than other attempts in the past, and was uncovered rather readily- across the globe.

A secondary thought is that AQ was looking for the ‘Spanish Effect’ here. Back in 2004, Spain’s elections turned quite different due to the train attacks. AQ is likely looking to play the same cards here. But will it work? WOULD it work?

I’m going to be looking at this event closely, with a very jaundiced eye. Let’s watch and see how events unfold in polling- you can BET that there will be some new questions inserted into your poll calls over the weekend- and we’ll see what that does on Tuesday.

I’ll have more on Monday.