I'd like to make a point that doesn't seem to have occurred to anyone. Although I dislike Bush and his cabal, and distrust everything they do, it occurs to me that Al Qaeda may be pulling something interesting right now. All AQ has to do is make threats of terror -- it doesn't have to perform any actual terrorist acts, to do great damage to the US.

Consider that the Orange Alert level costs $1 billion a week to maintain. That's expensive for a country that is already running an enormous deficit from the ridiculous invasion of Iraq. If a sufficient number of threats are made, Orange Alert could become a "normal" status, with high associated costs. Red Alert would be much worse.

Consider the other costs as well as the financial ones. If the US is forced to live under constant Orange or Red Alerts, the psychological damage to the national psyche will be enormous. If people have to be constantly on guard, watching their neighbours, monitoring the behaviour of others, the US will move into a state of national neurosis which will negatively affect the culture.

Al Qaeda doesn't have to do anything but make threats, in order to wreak great harm, IMO.