What are the odds? On Thursday, we reported on the amazing coincidence that the terror alert covering the New York subway system had grabbed headlines away from bad news about President Bush’s abysmal poll numbers (and the breaking news that Karl Rove had been called to testify, for the fourth time, before the Treasongate grand jury).

Amazingly, the subway bomb threat was no less than the 13th time a terror alert has trumped breaking bad news about the Bush Administration since 2001, according to Keith Olbermann on MSNBC’s “Countdown” Thursday night:

OLBERMANN: Remarkably enough, Karl Rove’s possible legal problems were bookended by two pieces of terror news. Before, came a presidential speech on the war on terror. After, came a supposed terrorist threat to New York’s subway system.

Stop what you’re thinking. It is just an amazing coincidence. The terrorists just happened to wait to make these threats until there’s bad news about the administration that it needs to preempt. Just a coincidence.

After running the packages on the terror, Olbermann brings on Craig Crawford for the political take:

OLBERMANN: First, back to the big picture, the president’s speech included. Let’s call in Craig Crawford, MSNBC analyst and author of “Attack the Messenger.”

CRAIG CRAWFORD: You’re sounding a bit skeptical tonight.

OLBERMANN: Well, I’m … yes, and I’m going to raise this question as skeptically and bluntly as I can. It’s not a question that doubts the existence of terror, nor the threat of terrorism. But we’ve cobbled together in the last couple of hours a list of at least 13 occasions that … on which … whenever there has been news that significantly impacted the White House negatively, there has been some sudden credible terror threat somewhere in this country. How could the coincidence be so consistent?

CRAWFORD: It’s … it is a pattern.

For years, Team Bush has used its “fear-o-meter” – like the color-coded terror alert system – to manipulate and disinform the public. Finally, the left-most edge of the MSM feels free to say so on the air.

UPDATE: Olbermann lists the 13 coincidental terror alerts here.

Chalked up: Late last month, we published rumors here about the President’s alleged possible return to his old cocaine habits. Yesterday, we spotted this:

A source in the media, who has the opportunity to see the president in person regularly, has pointed out to me that Bush appears to be uncontrollably grinding his teeth, or having a jaw spasm, when he speaks.

Reader Eric sent me a link to a video on the Huffington Post (the video is here, their post on an unrelated topic is here) that clearly shows this problem at the end of Bush’s sentences, his lower jaw twitches or grinds. Eric and his friends noticed it too.

I’m told by folks who know that this is something that happens when people do too much cocaine. I’ve also heard that alcohol abuse can do the same.

Any experts out there want to weigh in? The man is our commander in chief during war time, we have the right to know that he’s well.

“I’m driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan. And I did, and then God would tell me, George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq… And I did. And now, again, I feel God’s words coming to me, Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East. And by God I’m gonna do it.”

— President George W. Bush, at a 2003 meeting with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, according to Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath

Editor’s Note: Sure sounds like Bush. Also, Scotty McLiar categorically denies Bush said this – so it’s a dead cinch that he did.