An October surprise is a political term for a dirty trick designed to undermine the administration of the opposition party. Bill Clinton had six or seven years to deal with the terrorists who tried to bring down the WTC on his watch. He called the terrorist attack "a stupid act by stupid people" and ignored the jihad threat. Bin Ladin was offered to him on a silver plate and he turned it down. Clinton's A.G. drafted an order that threatened FBI and CIA agents with arrest if they dared to share information while the terrorists were attending flight school learning how to glide a 747 into a building. Some of the 9-11 terrorists were in the US illegally but the Clinton administration did nothing. Would 9-11 have happened if Gore won the election? Probably not.