Grim expectations

Al-Qaida or one of its affiliates will attempt a major attack on American soil within six months, a Senate panel learned Tuesday.

The person bearing the news was America's top intelligence official, Dennis C. Blair.

That is a far cry from last year when Mr. Blair announced that global economic woes represented the country's most pressing security concern.

Last year, it seemed, al-Qaida was on the run; now it appears that the group has adapted its methods to more effectively attack U.S. targets at home and abroad, Mr. Blair said.

CIA Director Leon Panetta spoke of al-Qaida's adaptability which makes its plans hard to detect. Al-Qaida affiliates in places like Yemen and Somalia are raising concerns.

Mr. Blair warned of a potential attack on telecommunications and other computer networks. "Sensitive information is stolen daily from both government and private sector networks, undermining confidence in our information systems, and in the very information these systems were intended to convey," he said.

Appearing with Mr. Blair and Mr. Panetta before the Senate Intelligence Committee were other top intelligence officials, including heads of the FBI and Defense Intelligence Agency.

They also warned of nuclear proliferation, pointing particularly to Iran and North Korea. Iran is capable of producing nuclear weapons, they said, and the discovery of an enrichment plant near the city of Qum must raise suspicions.

Clearly, there are many potential dangers to watch. But the prospect of a major attack on U.S. soil this year must be taken seriously, considering the messenger.