Perhaps this has something to do with all of the recent outrage over TSA screening practices? Maybe the TSA brass finally realized that you can have security theater that 1. Is non-invasive. 2. Does equally little as the scanners/gropes. 3. Still leaves 90%+ of the traveling public feeling like the government is "doing something" about security. People can rest easy that there's some magic formula by which the TSO asking you the questions can tell if your answers indicate the likelihood of you being a terrorist.