Apparently the Pentagon thinks so:

US secret forces are intensifying their cross-border raids into Pakistani tribal areas because of fears of a high-profile al-Qaeda attack during the American election campaign…

…Against this backdrop, a senior US intelligence official said that al Qaeda was seeking to stage a major attack on an American target close to the election, to test the new president-elect.

“Their goal would not be to influence the election but merely to send a message that they are still a force to be reckoned with,” the official said. “They know that a successful attack in the election season will have maximum impact, and they want to give the new president the jitters.”

Any attack in the weeks before the Nov 4 election - what is known in American political circles as an “October surprise” - would almost certainly give a decisive boost to John McCain, the Republican candidate who already holds a commanding lead on questions of national security.

Which, if true, really makes me wonder - why would al Qaeda want to boost McCain just before the election? Or are they foolish enough to think that an attack would help Obama? Those are real questions, by the way; I’m perplexed.

Personally, I think it has everything to do with influencing the election (even if I can’t quite figure out their reasoning) which will be evident IF an attack happens BEFORE Nov. 4. If after, then, and only then, will I buy the bit about “sending a message.” But also, personally, I doubt that al Qaeda can do anything on the scope of 9/11 or the London bombing, and I also doubt that they can pull off anything on U.S. soil that wouldn’t be worse than the criminal incidents that we suffer every day.

What do you think? Am I right? Or am I full of BS?