I liked this editorial so much, I'm posting the whole thing below, with a few bolded highlights of my own:

IT IS a sad commentary on the state of the Bush administration's credibility that the timing of its announcement of a serious terrorism threat has come into question.

The White House has only itself to blame for its predicament. The false information it disseminated about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction -- as a major pretext for war -- gives cause for Americans to be skeptical of pronouncements from an administration that often likes to implore paternalistically, "Trust us."

No one doubts that al Qaeda remains a threat and could attempt to strike at high-profile events such as the political conventions this summer. The war in Afghanistan clearly weakened, but did not extinguish, al Qaeda's capabilities. But by all indications, the information rolled out this week by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in a semi-alarmist manner was not new. The administration revealed that intelligence reports were showing increasing "chatter" that suggests an attack on U.S. soil may be coming in the next few months.

Curiously, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has not elevated the color-coded terror alert level to orange. Ridge and FBI Director Robert Mueller were notably more restrained than Ashcroft in describing the threat.

So skeptics among us are left to wonder: Was this news conference prompted by a qualitative change in the terror-threat assessment or was it a political move to change the subject from the distressing news out of Iraq and the sour aftertaste of the Sept. 11 hearings? The fact that many Americans -- even the heads of national police and firefighter organizations -- even think to ask that question is indicative of what this administration has lost. Asked about the timing, Ashcroft said, "We believe the public, like all of us, needs a reminder."

He's right about the need for a reminder of the threat of al Qaeda.

But if the administration is right about the danger of a devastating follow-up attack this summer -- and we should all prepare as if it is -- then there is another grim reminder in the administration's announcement.

Even as this country braces for another terrorist attack, we are reminded of how much national treasure, international goodwill -- and sacrifice of our troops -- continue to be exhausted on a war in Iraq that had nothing to do with fighting an al Qaeda enemy that struck our homeland, and may do so again.