Manipulation of the color coded alerts

Here's some not too surprising news: in his new book Tom Ridge says that the color coded terrorist alerts are basically a farce.

He was ordered, or asked, to raise them prior to the 2004 election, which may have just scared enough people to vote for Bush a second time. We'll never know, but I think it is time we dropped the threat advisory level. It has always been yellow or orange, I doubt that it was ever planned for it to go lower.