Meanwhile, the disclosure of the alleged plot is raising questions over the nature of the Bush administration’s reaction to the primary loss of Senator Joseph Lieberman. Just one day before the alleged plot was announced, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said Lieberman’s defeat signaled Democrats are “[raising] a white flag in the war on terror.” And in an unusual conference call with reporters, Vice President Dick Cheney said Democrats believe “that somehow we can retreat behind our oceans and not be actively engaged in this conflict and be safe here at home, which clearly we know we won’t be.” Critics say the White House’s comments amount to political opportunism because officials were briefed on the alleged plot last week and knew it would soon be disclosed. In an interview with Agence France Press, a Republican congressional aide addressed the alleged plot and said he’d “rather be talking about this than all of the other things that Congress hasn’t done well.” A White House official added: “Weeks before September 11th, this is going to play big.”