...especially since the FBI person went to Cantor and yet no one on the relevant committees was told, nor was the POTUS told. That smacks of some serious game-playing and I'd put money on them trying to pull an October surprise to affect the election. Also you make a good point that hurricane Sandy shoved Petraeus' statement out of the headlines. That's another reason why the rabid right can plausibly say that Sandy affected the election: more than they are willing to make public!