Who are these guys? And why do they talk so much? It's not that I'm doubting the mounting evidence that Al Qaeda was at the very least involved in last week's terrorist bombings in Madrid. It's just that I'm skeptical as to the connection between Al Qaeda and this Abu Hafs al-Masri bunch.

Abu Hafs issued a quick statement taking "credit" for the Madrid attack. They also issued a not-so-quick statement taking credit for last year's major power blackout in North America. That claim was laughed out of the park. Now they're back and sounding more plausible, so people are paying attention. But maybe they've just learned how to sound that way as a result of past mistakes...