Al-Qaeda as strong now as before 9-11.

Okay I keep hearing the above headline on all of the cable networks and it seems like we are supposed to be panicked about it. But I actually think that it is completely misleading.

I think that al-Qaeda is actually much, much stronger now then they were in 2001. They have far more recruits then they did then, their profile is much higher, they have both Iraq and Pakistan for recruiting and training, and they are considered the good guys fighting the fight against the evil United States of America, so they have the support of much of the Middle East.

So this is a non-story. We already know that the war in Iraq has strengthened al-Qaeda.

But the important question is are we prepared in America to stop a terrorist attack or deal with one if it does in fact occur. And to that question I have no answer.

I think that we have spent too much money and energy tapping the phones of law abiding Americans, fighting a war in a country in the name of oil, and trying to turn every incident into a political opportunity.

We know they are coming. Are we prepared for that?