“We Were . . . All Over This.”

Is how Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff described the breaking up of the alleged terror plot against Manhattan. Officials have been monitoring the development of the plot for more than a year.

"This is a plot that would have involved martyrdom, explosives and certain of the tubes that connect New Jersey with Lower Manhattan," Mershon said. He called the threat "the real deal."

Hammoud was arrested before leaving for four months of training in Pakistan, and Lebanese investigators discovered details of a terrorist "project" on his computer that included a map "with a lot of details about New York," Lebanon's acting Interior Minister Ahmed Fatfat said in a telephone interview.

But authorities said there was no evidence that the plotters had taken any actions, such as buying explosives or sending money. They cast doubt on the feasibility of initial reports, which first appeared in the New York Daily News, that terrorists sought to flood Lower Manhattan and the Financial District by bombing tunnels.

Frankly, I'd rather have plots disrupted in the very early stages than later when action is imminent, but this is, predictably, bringing critics of the administration out in droves. One only has to look at some of the comments my post yesterday brought to see the talking points from the left.

Speaking about yesterday's announcement, the FBI's Mershon said, "They were about to go to a phase where they would attempt to surveil targets, establish a regimen of attack and acquire the resources necessary to effectuate the attacks. And at that point, I think it's entirely appropriate to take it down."

The Hudson River tunnel threat appeared to combine several themes that have emerged as sources of anxiety for U.S. authorities over the past 18 months.

They include terrorists using the Internet to accomplish tasks that used to require travel and in-person meetings, such as casing targets and recruiting members. The alleged plots also brought a renewed focus on the vulnerability of rail and transit systems, which have gotten less federal aid for security than other transportation modes, such as commercial aviation.

The problem with treating terrorism as a law-enforcement issue is when is the right time to break a plot up. Thus far, the track record of the administration has been excellent in court with only a very few acquittals. I think that shows they're getting the timing right most of the time.