Presidential Homeland Security adviser Frances Townsend answered press questions today about a national intelligence report that says Al Qaeda is getting stronger. According to the Bush administration, the chaos in Pakistan is a primary cause of that.

Not good news, because the Bush administration has spent billions trying to destroy Al Qaeda over the past six years. But the threat from Al Qaeda is a strong Republican issue. And President Bush knows it. So if Americans are dialed into that threat, they are more likely to cut the president some slack in Iraq and the terror war in general.

It's interesting to note that Stratfor, a private intelligence outfit that has been very accurate, disputes the Al Qaeda analysis. On its website, Stratfor says "Bin Laden is probably gone for good, and Al Qaeda likely lacks the ability to strike in any strategically meaningful way."

Now on the other side, the left understands that if Al Qaeda does strike America, it will be in deep trouble. Liberal stands against Guantanamo, NSA listening, and other anti-terror measures will come back to haunt the left. So their strategy is to paint President Bush as soft on bin Laden and dumb on Iraq.

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Anyway, the central theme of that column is a theme the Democratic Party will use if terrorists hit us again. That Bush failed to neutralize Al Qaeda and wasted American resources in Iraq.

"Talking Points" believes both the right and the left are playing games to some extent. Certainly, Al Qaeda remains dangerous, but the only way to hit them is to invade Pakistan. Do the Democrats want to do that?

On the other hand, it would be a tragedy if after all the blood and treasure Americans have sacrificed, Al Qaeda has not been badly damaged.

America should be united in fighting these savages, but we're not. Ideology has poisoned a reasoned, disciplined approach to defeating the jihadists. America's great strength, diversity of thought, can also be a weakness. And Al Qaeda knows it.

The old saying goes, "United we stand, divided we fall." Well, we're divided. And that's the Memo.

Now, listen to me, goddammit! The
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government! They're going to own
us! A handful of agas, shahs and
emirs who despise this country and
everything it stands for --
democracy, freedom, the right for me
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about it -- a couple of dozen
medieval fanatics are going to own
where you work, where you live, what
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only one thing that can stop them --
you! So I want you to get up now.
I want you to get out of your chairs
and go to the phone. Right now. I
want you to go to your phone or get
in your car and drive into the
Western Union office in town. I
want everybody listening to me to
get up right now and send a telegram
to the White House --
By midnight tonight I want a million
telegrams in the White House! I
want them wading knee-deep in
telegrams at the White House! Get
up! Right now! And send President
Ford a telegram saying: "I'm mad as
hell and I'm not going to take this
any more! I don't want the banks
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want this C.C. and A. deal stopped
now! -- I want this C.C. and A. deal stopped
now! -- I want this C.C. and A. deal
stopped now!