Most of the liberal blogs are pretty quiet about the British terror plot so far this morning. Their prerogative. They're in Nedrenaline mode anyway.

But AmericaBlog takes the chance to do some early-morning shark-jumping. His theory?

The Republican administration responded to the thwarting of an "imminent" and "massive" terror attack on trans-Atlantic flights with a Code Red security alert because a Democrat incumbent lost in a Connecticut Senate primary.

And isn't it queer that the emergency is declared within a day of Republican party leader Ken Mehlman launching an all-out offensive against Democrats following Joe Lieberman's loss in Connecticut, an offensive in which Mehlman, the White House and Republican operatives are claiming that Democrats no longer care about national security or the war on terror.

And just at that moment we get our FIRST ever red alert. Beam me up, Scotty.

Do I sound as if I don't believe this alert? Why, yes, that would be correct. I just don't believe it. Read the article. They say the plot had an "Al Qaeda footprint." Ooh, are you scared yet? What that really means is that they found NO evidence whatsoever that the plot had anything to do at all with Al Qaeda, but the plot simply made them think "gosh, this is something Al Qaeda would do." That's what a footprint means. Nice, but no cigar.

Were these guys totally innocent? Probably not. But there's no reason to believe they were any more Osama's right-hand than Jose Padilla, the famed dirty-bomber who I think is now only being charged with jay-walking or something...

And the Republicans needed to divert attention, to stop this meme in its tracks, and lo' and behold we have our first terror alert that I can recall since the last election, and it's our first ever Red Alert! What a coincidence!

Karl Rove, you sly dog, you.

Oh, Lordy. This is why another meme was starting yesterday-- the one that says the Netroots liberals are driving the Democratic Party over the anti-war edge, to a place where they can no longer be trusted on national security issues (and, frankly, they were iffy before).

International terrorist plot, guys. You got a victory yesterday, but it's really not all about you.

And they wonder why we say they can't be trusted on security?

UPDATE: Welcome, Readers From Sundry Blogs! Glad to have you. But I'm not the only one slumming in Leftyland today.

Geraghty, Ace, and RedState all went moonbat hunting, too. Together. In pith helmets. And little khaki shorts. Yeah, it was weird.

Come back and see me sometime!