reality-based educator

First, the "terror plot," via the Daily News:

WASHINGTON - President Bush detailed a terrorist plot yesterday that would have used shoe bombers and a hijacked plane to knock down the tallest building on the West Coast.

The plot to strike a Los Angeles skyscraper has been mentioned before, but Bush released additional details yesterday.

The timing of his remarks and the seriousness of the plot were questioned, however, by officials ranging from the mayor of Los Angeles to counter-terrorism experts.

The President's comments come as he is under fire even by members of his own party for his domestic eavesdropping program. Bush didn't contend that the eavesdropping busted up the L.A. plot, but his remarks served as a stark reminder of the menace from terrorists.

"We now know that in October 2001, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed - the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks - had already set in motion a plan to have terrorist operatives hijack an airplane using shoe bombs to breach the cockpit door, and fly the plane into the tallest building on the West Coast," Bush said.

"We believe the intended target was [Library] Tower in Los Angeles, Calif. Rather than use Arab hijackers as he had on September the 11th, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed sought out young men from Southeast Asia, whom he believed would not arouse as much suspicion," Bush added.

The attack was foiled, he said, when a plotter was arrested in Asia.

Now the press dubiousness part, via the gaggle (thanks to Atrios and First Draft):

Q Scott, I wanted to just ask a follow-up about the LA plot. Is there something missing from this story, a practical application, a few facts? Because if you want to commandeer a plane and fly it into a tower, if you used shoe bombs, wouldn't you blow off the cockpit? Or is there something missing from this story?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know what you're referring to about missing. I mean, I think we provided you a detailed briefing earlier today about the plot. And Fran Townsend, our Homeland Security Advisor, talked about it. So I'm not sure what you're suggesting it.

Q Think about it, if you're wearing shoe bombs, you either blow off your feet or you blow off the front of the airplane.

MR. McCLELLAN: There was a briefing for you earlier today. I think that's one way to look at it. There are a lot of ways to look at it, and she explained it earlier today, Alexis, so I would refer you very much back to what she said, what she said earlier today.

The press also hit the preznit for the timing of the preznit's speech (didn't it have something to do with the NSA spying domestic spying controversy?) and asked why it was okay for the preznit to give details about this "terror plot" now but not beforehand.

It's good to see some skeptical pressheads taking to these assholes in the administration, pointing out their bullshit, and no longer playing willing tools in the War of Terror Propaganda.