I Hate to Say It, But Drudge Is Right ...

For over a year now, that pitiful scoundrel Drudge had been watching his once-remarkable influence wane on his Web site, which is nothing more than a collection of links to other people's work. But those links are carefully chosen -- curated, you might say, to present a picture of the world from the right-wing reactionary, faux-populism perspective.

I've always thought that Drudge was basically a very smart wire editor who could have worked for some crazed modern online manifestation of the old New York Mirror. That is said with some admiration.

Anyway, Drudge came back big-time this month, as he drove the furor on the TSA with deftly chosen links and the usual attention-getting headlines.

And he's right today, highlighting reactions to the amazingly quick cave by the media, which has abruptly changed narrative on this story because one element of it, the much-hyped "National Opt-Out Day" protest, failed to materialize at the airports on the day before Thanksgiving. (Politico's Ben Smith also makes the point about the Drudge effect on what Smith calls, I think correctly, as the "weekend collapse" of the TSA's new screening policies.

Backward ran sentences until reeled the mind, to allude to the classic 1936 New Yorker parody of the old Time Magazine by Wolcott Gibbs.

Unseen in the current media rewrite of the narrative (ahem) is the fact that Thanksgiving air travel was down to the extent that the TSA itself said it closed checkpoint lanes at airports. The TSA didn't say this, but anecdotal reports from travelers all over the country say that in many airports, the body-scanner lanes were the ones closed.

Other anecdotal reports say that TSA screeners over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period were friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful and helpful, manifesting at least some elements of the Boy Scout Code, and most of the important ones at that. The great TSA patdown grope-fest that had horrified travelers in the weeks before Thanksgiving seemed to be in recess, as well.

One strong indication to me showing how this narrative was deliberately changed over the weekend is the way media reports dismissing the TSA furor now routinely mention old polls showing majority acceptance of the new TSA procedures, while ignoring new polls in the middle of last week that showed exactly the opposite.

We'll see how this plays out. The new Accepted Narrative includes a theme that says this reaction has been solely driven by right-wing media, which is nuts, and I could show you a couple of thousand e-mails to prove it.

But maybe there is a new environment at the checkpoints. The inappropriate patdowns, far more than the body-scan machines themselves, drove the fury. And I do give great credit to a brilliant PR campaign by the TSA (and again, this is said with some admiration).

And hey, whatever works.

[Meanwhile, the always compelling Mike Boyd has some hard-nosed things to say in his weekly essay today about the media and the sorry record of the TSA. Airport security, he says, "has been a pirate's chest of heavy gelt" for many who make dough off it.]

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Text of Europe Travel Alert From State Department; Also: If Prince Harry's Party-Boat Sails Get Trimmed, the Terrorists Will Have Won

Rather than depending on reporters' often sloppy paraphrasing, which is the most annoying media habit there is (except for starting sentences with "Indeed," that is), have a look at the full text of the State Department's travel alert for Europe, issued this morning:

"The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to the potential for terrorist attacks in Europe. Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks. European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack and some have spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions.

Terrorists may elect to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests. U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure. Terrorists have targeted and attacked subway and rail systems, as well as aviation and maritime services. U.S. citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling.

We continue to work closely with our European allies on the threat from international terrorism, including al-Qaida. Information is routinely shared between the U.S. and our key partners in order to disrupt terrorist plotting, identify and take action against potential operatives, and strengthen our defenses against potential threats.

We recommend U.S. citizens register their travel plans with the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy through the State Department's travel registration website. Travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada, or on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444 from elsewhere in the world."

It's important to know that this alert was not issued in response to new intelligence information of an imminent attack, but rather in assessment of gathering momentum over recent weeks in information about the activities of various Islamic terrorist groups.

However, ABC News is reporting this morning that it has been told that "terrorist teams in Europe have selected their targets, completed their surveillance, eluded capture and are now ready to strike at airports and tourist attractions."

Here's the ABC "exclusive" -- but also note, ABC "exclusives" sometimes have a way of remaining exclusive. That is, ABC News has a reputation for breathless reports on terrorism based on anonymous sources -- reports that haven't panned out on previous occasions.

Still, there is no doubt that Islamic terrorist groups have been tuned-up lately in Europe, which accounts for the State Department action this morning.

Meanwhile, poor Drudge is all hysterical this morning about the well-being of Prince Harry, the Queen of England's grandson. Drudge is in a frenzy about some report in the News of the World that the No. 3 Heir to the Throne is "the main target," number one on a terrorist attack list which also includes the Eiffel Tower, the Hotel Adlon in Berlin and Notre Dame in Paris. Alas, it isn't quite clear why the randy young prince would be tops on the hit list for what the News of the World informs us is a threat from "Islamic and Irish" terrorists -- the News of the World evidently seeing an opportunity to toss in the Irish once more, for old time's sake.

But did the always-dependable News of the World mean to suggest that the terrorists are both Islamic and Irish -- which would be one hell of a terrifying combination if you ask me.

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