Terrorist threats not yet an issue in Hill races

Despite increased reports of terrorist plots, a State Department warning for Americans traveling in Europe, and the arrest Tuesday of 12 people in France suspected of having ties to Islamic militant networks, the Obama administration's counterterrorism efforts have not become an issue in the congressional races this fall.

At least, not yet.

The administration of former President George W. Bush came under heavy public criticism for politicizing the terrorist threat and creating a sense of insecurity when it raised the U.S. terror alert level for the country during the 2004 election year and for commercial airlines in 2006.

But the Obama administration has consistently stayed away from raising the U.S. color-coded terror threat alert system even when an uptick in intelligence "chatter" seemed to indicate a greater possibility of an attack.

Instead, the administration occasionally has issued alerts to particular transportation sectors or parts of the country without changing the national alert status. Most recently, the State Department issued a general travel alert Sunday for Americans traveling in Europe.

Only Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk show host, has suggested that the administration may be using the travel alert for political gain.

For now, Democrats appear to be finding safe ground in backing the administration's counterterrorism policies.

Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., who is running for the Senate, talked about the need for "smarter" counterterrorism capabilities in what was billed as a major national security speech Monday. He praised several Obama administration moves with regard to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Although Sestak did not mention it, the United States has ramped up drone strikes against militants in on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghan border.

"We've shifted our focus to the border regions of Pakistan, where it belongs, and implemented a more effective counterinsurgency strategy," Sestak said. "We're aggressively taking the fight to al-Qaida and the Taliban again, and working with our allies in Pakistan to step up and do the same on their side of the border."

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., who supported Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain over Obama for president in 2008, praised the administration for issuing Sunday's travel alert.

"The administration is wise to keep American travelers apprised of potential terror activity when intelligence analysis indicates as much. This alert is no cause for alarm, nor is it cause to change travel plans," he said.

For the most part, Republicans have made their priority attacks on the administration's domestic policies affecting jobs and the economy, not its counterterrorism policies. The National Republican Congressional Committee, for example, does not even mention national security as one of its top five issues that will shape the 2010 elections.

But some congressional GOP aides believe that might change if the public begins to take a harder look at the administration's policies.

Senior administration officials testified last month that the pace of terrorist activity is the highest it has been since 2001, when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks occurred.

One Republican aide seized on that Tuesday, arguing that terror threats have not abated in the light of such policies as the administration's effort to close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"The recent threats suggest that President Obama's attempts to placate the Muslim world - such as announcing that Gitmo would be haphazardly closed, delaying military commissions, and an unwillingness to use terms like 'Islamic radicalism' - have not made terrorists any less enthusiastic about attacking civilized nations," the aide said.