I agree, the political drama is unrelated, and news should be released when they are ready, regardless of the condition of the market (I don't belive it is a legitimate excuse anyways, in the eyes of the authorities; NDA's, yes, bad market conditions, I don't think so).
I believe, when you are announcing a paradigm shift in any sector, there is no bad time to announce it. It's only a matter of how much available money there will be to chase the story.
And in a falling market, money is being destroyed at an alarming rate.
Bring it on, it's about time, and let's see POET be one of the few that creates money.