DECODING THE THREAT.

Offers a look at the War on Terrorism and United States politics as of August 2004. Elevation of the terrorist threat level to orange and the disclosure of al Qaeda plans to attack financial centers in the U.S.; Disclosure that the intelligence data on which the attack plans were premised were years old; Cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan in fighting terrorism; Arrests of Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan and Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani in Pakistan. INSET: Anatomy Of A Terrorism Alert.