The good news is that Al Qaeda is nonpartisan: They do not seem to favor either candidate, said intelligence analyst Ted Gistaro in a speech yesterday at the National Intelligence Council. The bad news is that Al Qaeda’s lack of a candidate does not make it less likely they will attack in the fall. If it happens, the intent would not be to help McCain or Obama -- but to cause chaos and panic. At this point, Al Qaeda does not seem to have specific plans according to Gistaro, but the terrorist group has “several dozen operatives in Pakistani camps,” who could carry them out, according to Mark Mazzetti in The New York Times.
It should come as no surprise that they are located in Pakistan. What is new is how serious the threat has become. Operating out of bases in that country's remote tribal areas, Al Qaeda is now “more capable of attacking inside the United States than it was last year,” writes Mazzetti. Chances are there will be no terror attacks over the next several months. But it is certain that the next President will inherit a combustible mess in Pakistan – and that it will be one of his biggest problems when he takes office.
—Tara McKelvey
