As  if this surprises us.  Just something to file to trot out for the obligatory dismissal of Tom Ridge as part of the liberal conspiracy (even though he was a Bush administration apointee)

Tom Ridge, the first secretary of homeland security, asserts in a new book that he was pressured by top advisers to President George W. Bush to raise the national threat level just before the 2004 election in what he suspected was an effort to influence the vote.

Bush Official, in Book, Tells of Pressure on ’04 Vote – NYTimes.com