NYC Penn Station

Good Lord. I was just in New York City, at Penn station. I was the dark-skinned guy with the bulky backpack, looking anxious because my train was delayed, and frequently whipping out my laptop to check email.

Now part of Penn Station has been shut down.

Part of the section of New York’s Pennsylvania Station where Amtrak trains operate was sealed off on Friday morning because of what authorities said was a police situation, a day after officials warned of a possible attack on the system.

“A portion of Penn Station has been closed off to deal with the police situation,” Amtrak spokeswoman Marcie Golgoski said.

The precaution came one day after New York officials said they had intelligence that the city’s subway system was under a credible and specific threat of possible attack.

It’s been a while since we had a good scare. Call me cynical, but I can’t help thinking it odd that this one comes at a time when Karl Rove is about to testify againin the Plame case, indictments looming, the president’s ratings are circling the bowl, DeLay getting deeper into trouble that may end up taking more people down with him, the base revolting over Miers, and the Senate handing Bush an anti-torture bill he will almost certainly veto.

What better time than to distract people with alerts about potential terrorist attacks, just as reminder? Normally, we’d be getting a color-coded terror alert right now, if the Department of Homeland Security hadn’t done away with that laughable device.

Personally, I don’t see it working this time. If there is no terrorist attack in New York, the administration may claim it as a success, but I think it will leave people that much more cynical about the administration’s intentions. After all, they’ve been known to manipulate information and push propaganda when it suits their agenda. And it’s gotten so bad that Bush actually has to go on record denying that the administration had anything to do with the NYC warning.

Besides, if there is a terrorist attack in New York City, how can anyone believe Bush when he says his war in Iraq is making us safer?

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