Tim Sumner

al Qaeda, War on Terror

Al Qaeda seen planning another attack on U.S.

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In the Washington Times, this morning:

Senior al Qaeda leaders have diverted operatives from Iraq across the globe and are increasing preparations to strike the United States, senior intelligence officials told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence yesterday. They said the terrorists had plans to attack the White House as recently as 2006. “Al Qaeda is improving the last key aspect of its ability to attack the U.S. — the identification, training and positioning of operatives for an attack in the homeland,” said Michael McConnell, director of national intelligence, which oversees all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies.
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The officials added that al Qaeda is recruiting Westerners to terror camps in Pakistan. “While increased security measures at home and abroad have caused al Qaeda to view the West, especially the U.S., as a harder target, we have seen an influx of new Western recruits into the tribal areas since mid-2006, ” Mr. McConnell said.
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Mr. McConnell added that although al Qaeda absorbed vast resources in “the ongoing conflict in Iraq,” the terrorist organization has leveraged broad “external networks” as far as Europe to support their goals.

Related: Terrorists’ rights: Ronald Reagan vs John McCain

Election 2008, Political wind

Super Tuesday

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Super Tuesday vote and caucas results, from the Washington Times:

super-tuesday-results.jpg

Moderates fuel big McCain wins:

Sen. John McCain won a series of big-state victories and took a commanding lead in delegates in yesterday’s Super Tuesday contests, but his weakness among conservatives was exposed by a string of wins for Mike Huckabee in the South and Mitt Romney out West. Mr. Huckabee’s surprising Southern strength and Mr. Romney’s organizational skills in Mountain West caucuses denied Mr. McCain the chance to claim a mandate in the race, leaving him to salvage a message last night. “We won a number of important victories in the closest thing we’ve ever had to a national primary,” Mr. McCain said at his postelection party in Arizona.
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But the results exposed Mr. McCain’s continuing problems with conservative voters. Exit polls showed that only in Connecticut did Mr. McCain actually win a plurality of self-identified conservative voters, barely topping Mr. Romney in the Northeastern state. In every other state, he trailed Mr. Huckabee, Mr. Romney or both. In Utah he was tied for second with Rep. Ron Paul, well behind Mr. Romney, among conservative voters. Even in his own home state of Arizona, Mr. McCain trailed badly among conservatives, with just 36 percent to Mr. Romney’s 47 percent. And in California, Mr. Romney won nearly half of conservative voters, with 48 percent, according to the MSNBC exit polls.