THE REAL WORLD

Posted at 7:12 a.m. ET

As we focus on our political campaign, we should always remember that there's a real world out there, full of threats.  Thursday marks the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.  The boys in the caves are undoubtedly planning future spectaculars.

We had a mixed day yesterday.  The British trial of those charged with plotting to blow up airliners over the Atlantic ended in some convictions of some of the defendants, but not of others.  And even those convicted were not convicted on the top charge.  Of course, The New York Times put the worst possible face on the outcome in its headline:

No One Convicted of Terror Plot to Bomb Planes

London's Telegraph was considerably more precise:

Airliner bomb trial: Three British Muslims guilty of conspiracy to murder

The New York Times always seems so gleeful when a terror trial doesn't result in a home run for the prosecution.

At the same time, Con Coughlin, one of Britain's best terrorism reporters, reports the latest on the attempts by terror groups to develop a "dirty" nuclear weapon.  This is important:

Islamist terrorists have stepped up their efforts to develop a "dirty" bomb for use against Western targets, senior Western security sources have told The Daily Telegraph.

They are exploiting the political chaos in Pakistan in a bid to acquire nuclear material for a 'spectacular' attack.

At least one plot has been uncovered involving Pakistani-based terrorists planning to use nuclear material against a major European target.

And...

Security chiefs fear the mounting political instability in Pakistan will make it easier for militant Islamist groups to develop a primitive nuclear device.

And...

Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is subject to stringent security safeguards put in place with the help of the American military when Mr Musharraf was in office. But there is mounting concern within Western security circles that Islamic terror groups will gain access to Pakistan's expertise in developing terrorist weapons containing nuclear material.

"Islamist militant groups want to carry out terror attacks on a massive scale, and there is no better way for them to achieve that objective than to develop some form of primitive nuclear device," said a senior U.S. security official.

The most likely terror device using nuclear material is a "dirty bomb", where conventional explosives are fitted with radioactive material.

Security experts believe the detonation of such a device in a city like London would provoke widespread panic and chaos, even though the area of contamination would be relatively small.

The "small" area of contamination might have to be abandoned for some time.  Imagine that happening in New York's financial district, the Capitol area in Washington, which includes the Supreme Court, or even the Mall of America in Minnesota.

Western security officials say they have uncovered evidence that a Pakistani based group was planning to attack a European target with such a device, although details of the planned attack have not been made public.

Finally...

British security officials recently confirmed that they were investigating at least 30 terror plots that originated in Pakistan. "In the past many of the plots have been fairly primitive, but we are seeing a growing level of sophistication. We fear it is only a question of time before the groups based in Pakistan develop some form of nuclear capability."

Now which candidate for president do you think might take this seriously?  Class?

September 9, 2008.