The terror alert was based on dated information that was years old - it was done for political purposes by the Bush Administration.
In August 2004, the Bush Administration released a warning to the public about possible plans by al Qaeda to target financial centers in some large U.S. cities. This information was met with criticism and skepticism by liberal Democrats and the liberal media because the warning was based on information was was a few years old. Please be advised that al Qaeda does not plan major attacks and carry them out the following day. The most destructive terrorist attacks executed by al Qaeda were planned for years. The attack on America on September 11, 2001, was 5 years in the making. Does this mean if that plot was learned 4 1/2 years after it was conceived (6 months before it occurred) that the information should have be dismissed as old and dated? That seems to be the strategy of liberal Democrats and the opinion of liberal media. These are the same liberals that bash President Bush for not doing enough to fight the war on terror.