Out of My Mind

No need for a link, story's all over the place. But that terrorist cell in Miami -- are they for real, a credible threat?

And more importantly, does it make up for pre-9/11 bungling? Is that the point of busting them? Bonus rhetorical question: Were they busted with and solely as a result of the illegal wiretapping and phone surveillance?

Ah, screw it, BuzzFlash broke down this Incredibly Major Threat From Which Our Leaders Saved Us, Atoning For 9/11:

No terrorist connections:

Group "never met Bin Laden or had any contact with the terror kingpin's henchmen… In fact, they had no connection to any known terrorist organization." (NY Daily News)

No actual terrorist actions:

No bomb making materials were found in the raids." (CNN.com)

"Only overt acts described in the indictments were swearing oaths of allegiance to Al Qaeda and taking video footage of the F.B.I office." (NY Times)

Six of the seven men indicted "are described only as driving (the leader) or the informer places or as attending meetings between the two." (NY Times)

"Only devised a plot on paper." (Chicago Sun-Times)

Officials dismiss serious risk:

Chicago Police: There was "No credible threat… They had no capability to (destroy the Sears tower). They never got to that point – or could have." (NY Daily News)

Sears Tower executive: "Law enforcement continues to tell us that they have never found evidence of a credible terrorism threat against Sears Tower that has gone beyond criminal discussions." (Chicago Sun-Times)

Senior federal law-enforcement source: "No means" to attack Sears Tower or other buildings. "There was no threat at all." (Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communication Executive Director: "The plan developed in Florida was never an actual plan, and therefore, nobody was in danger" (CBS News)