Just found out that the Brits knew about the terrorists months ahead of time, and were prepared to arrest them, but postponed it on request from the USA. So it might have been a real terror incident, albeit an ill-planned one, but it was blown out of proportion and was never posing a credible threat to citizens.
Video here:
Politics-Terror Nexus

I'm really pissed off at the Republicans now. I do think that terrorists are a threat--they consider America "the Great Satan," so it's not a matter of publicity--it's a matter of religious extremism. Especially since the Koran is pretty explicit about how to treat "infidels". I just think that the way we're dealing with it is beyond stupid. It's putting us at further risk. I found a statement a while back on the sheer idiocy of the "terror threat level".
"Do you check the terror threat index every morning?"
"No, I guess not. I mean, who would?"
"The terrorists."
That's all it really is, honestly. The average citizen isn't going to go on there and see the threat level, and if they do, what are they going to do about it? "Oh, threat level is orange today. Better get out the Glock in case I see any Islamo-fascists in ski masks on the way to work." But a terrorist can log on, and in twenty seconds can get a quick estimate on how alert the security in airports is going to be today. It wouldn't be hard to just wait for a low terror threat day, THEN go blow up some planes, would it?
It's just plain stupid.
We ought just keep letting the CIA, NSA and FBI track terrorists, arrest them quietly, without broadcasting it for political leverage, and get them locked up in jail. That's how to make America safer, not by broadcasting our vulnerabilities on the internet and television.