The New York Times and the Washington Post were very quick after the terror alert over the weekend to have front page, above-the-fold stories claiming that the alert was unwarranted because the information was old. Some data was old, but plans take time...and we know the enemy is patient (hit the WTC towers in '93 unsuccessfully and then waited and planned a full 8 years until they did it again).
Today, news orgs had to admit that the information being old doesn't mean it's unimportant and worthy of discounting it.
What happens if we're hit again before the election? What if they're successful at hitting us 60 days or less from the election?
What would be the political impact?