Obama praises NYPD counterterrorism, then we ask the feds to pay for it

Saturday, a briefing Ray Kelly and members of New York's Intelligence Division and Counter Terrorism Bureau were giving to White House security advisors was interrupted by a phone call from the President. Obama congratulated the NYPD for their "outstanding work" during the United Nations General Assembly last week, and in ongoing investigations of our possible local terror plot, according to spokesman Robert Gibb. Our cops have, Obama said, the respect and gratitude of all Americans.

Today, Commissioner Kelly and Mayor Bloomberg asked the federal government to give us $40 million to spend on increased security. Joe Lieberman and Peter King also got behind the request, as did Chuck Schumer at a separate press conference, making this officially a tri-partisan effort. The money would be used to install cameras and radiation detectors in Manhattan.

Ironically, the Mayor's press conference was held at the Citigroup Center, the target of a terror alert in 2004 which then-head of Homeland Security Tom Ridge recently suggested was explicitly political (as some people on both sides of the aisle suggested at the time).

They did get a nice visit from then-President Bush's wife and daughters for their trouble, though, so that was nice.