NY Top Cop calls Orange Alert: "A very detailed vulnerability analysis."

[Demoiselle]

Joyce Purnick (NY Times Metro Matters columnist) covers yesterday's press conference with Mayor Bloomberg and police commissioner Raymond Kelly. The column, on the front page of the Aug. 2 Metro Section, is well worth reading.

Herewith, some nuggets:

"When asked why the public should consider this latest report of a threat credible given the country's documented intelligence failings, Mr. Bloomberg cited its many specifics, then acknowledged: 'You are correct, however, that THERE IS NO REASON TO KNOW YES OR NO WHETHER THIS IS ANY MORE OR LESS A THREAT..' "

(SNIP)

"The mayor and Commissioner Kelly made clear that someone could have been eyeballing the New York Stock Exchange and other financial buildings AT POINTS IN THE PAST, and THE COMMISSIONER SAID THE INTELLIGENCE HAD NOT BEEN TIED TO A PARTICULAR PLOT. 'IT IS, IN ESSENCE, A VERY DETALED VULNERABILITY ANAYSIS, YOU MIGHT SAY, OF THESE LOCATIONS,', MR KELLY SAID."

(CONTINUED SNIP)

"Mr. Bloomberg pointed out MORE THAN ONCE that IT IS NOT KNOWN WHEN THE INFORMATION WAS COLLECTED, LEAVING OPEN THE POSSIBILITY THAT IT COULD BE OLD."


(END SNIPS)

Now I can understand why NY officials wouldn't want to see their city panicked...but old news? And just analysis? Doesn't vulnerability analysis simply mean a list, report, etc. of the various ways a particular site MIGHT be vulnerable? It sure looks to me like the Mayor and the Commish aren't all that convinced that an actual plot is underway here.

Hmmm. Could someone in Washington be playing (gasp) politics with terror?
(www.nytimes.com/2004/08/02/nyregion/02matters.html)

I hope the link works. I'm not very good at this stuff.

[ramapo]

1. Vulnerability Analysis?

All this hype for an analysis? Anybody with a common sense, logical, open mind can write a pretty detailed review of ways to attack a target.

I'd be shocked to hear that this was part of the reselection campaign