If there's one thing the revelation that Al Qaeda was planning a cyanide attack on NYC subways is good for, it's making New York City and State politicians foam at the mouth over the Department of Homeland Security's NYC anti-terror fund slashing. Al Qaeda did not end up attacking the subways because security was increased and there wouldn't be enough fatalities. Senator Charles Schumer said, "This is just more evidence that what Homeland Security was terribly misguided and just wrong," while Representative Peter King fumed, "This is absolutely disgraceful." And what's more, subway riders are concerned anew over the terrorist-attack potential of commutes, on top of "Will the subways be flooded?" and "Why does it smell like ass at the Times Square station?" Now, if Al Qaeda was trying to figure out a way to initiate shouting matches between NYC and Washington D.C., consider the mission accomplished!

Wikipedia on cyanide. And in all of our Agatha Christie reading, we've learned cyanide smells like almonds. Oh, the NYPD is getting a new "security czar" - Richard Falkenrath, a former deputy homeland security adviser. Update: Muckraked tells us Falkenrath dissed Bloomberg and the NYPD for last October's alleged subway terror plot. Which sounds great, as we can now start Falkenrath Watch.