Dark deeds

John Gannam, The Conspirators, for Collier's Weekly, 1933. Via.

It seems Al Qa'eda is concerned that our NSA surveillance program won't survive the current controversy, and the leaders are anxious to get their voices on tape before it's too late, because history, or something like that, because

The United States intercepted electronic communications this week among senior operatives of Al Qaeda, in which the terrorists discussed attacks against American interests in the Middle East and North Africa, American officials said Friday....

It is unusual for the United States to come across discussions among senior Qaeda operatives about operational planning — through informants, intercepted e-mails or eavesdropping on cellphone calls. So when the high-level intercepts were collected and analyzed this week, senior officials at the C.I.A., State Department and White House immediately seized on their significance.

Isn't it odd. I thought when details of our intelligence-gathering system got leaked, the terrorists were supposed to take advantage of the leak to figure out ways of avoiding it. But instead they're acting as if being intercepted is what they've always longed for.

Although there is, the Times acknowledges, another possible explanation:

Some analysts and Congressional officials suggested Friday that emphasizing a terrorist threat now was a good way to divert attention from the uproar over the N.S.A.'s data-collection programs, and that if it showed the intercepts had uncovered a possible plot, even better.

What? What? Are they trying to say our sacred Pentagon could be using deception? Please, Mr. President, tell us it's not true! No, on second thought, maybe you should just keep quiet for a while. Let the State Department handle it.

MORE: State Dept.: Decision to keep embassies, consulates closed is 'not an indication of a new threat' http://t.co/EwnmVrQ5SR -RJJ

— The Associated Press (@AP) August 4, 2013