Will Osama rock the vote?

[bigtree]

The American presidential election could be decided by a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

John Arquilla
Sunday, February 1, 2004
San Francisco Chronicle
URL: sfgate.com/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/02/01/ING234I8FC1.DTL

Howard Dean and Wesley Clark keep saying that the war on Iraq was a big mistake -- and John Kerry seems to agree with them -- but only Osama bin Laden can prove them right. If, by the November election, the al Qaeda mastermind is able to mount another large terrorist attack inside the United States, bin Laden will show that Iraq has been a fatal distraction from the more pressing business of ripping apart his network. And George Bush will lose his job.

>>>

Another aircraft-based attack inside the United States would have devastating psychological effects upon us, but bin Laden knows that we are best prepared to thwart him in this area. So he may create a variation on a theme, say, by attacking our aircraft with shoulder-mounted missiles. This follows a trend begun with the attack on an Israeli jet taking off from Mombasa, Kenya, and continued more recently in attacks on commercial aircraft operating out of Baghdad International. More likely, though, bin Laden will try to strike in some area where we haven't concentrated our attention and defenses.

The main point is, if bin Laden has the capability to launch an attack on America this year, he will. It must be an irresistible temptation to know that, from his remote cave, he could possibly exert a decisive influence on the political succession in the United States.

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So, whatever drama may seem to be lacking in the grinding attrition of the Democratic primaries, they will nevertheless play an important role as a catalyst for the tense but largely hidden set piece going on at the same time. Al Qaeda operatives may be gathering to launch a pre-election attack on the United States while "hunter-killer" teams of special forces will be redoubling their efforts to capture or kill bin Laden and root out his operatives before they can strike.

[Newsjock]

1. Osama won't do a thing; all he has to do is talk

The nonstop message of fear is what the GOP is banking on to win in November.

Osama also knows that having his best friend Chimpy in office is far, far better for him than any Democrat. Osama would not do anything to jeopardize Chimpy in November.

[ugarte]

2. I would like to agree

but I'm afraid a major attack on the U.S. will only help Bush. Rightly or wrongly, people rally around the "leader" in times of crisis.

Hopefully we won't have to find out.

[BigDaddyLove]

6. But after all of the steps the Bush has taken to make us 'safer'...

wouldn't another terrorist attack make it (rightly) look like Bush is asleep at the wheel (again)?

How can he justify his enormous (and costly) efforts to stem terrorism on U.S. soil if another one happens on his watch....it'll be a lot harder to blame Clinton this time.

[Goldom]

3. I disagree

Should another attack on America happen shortly before the election, many will rally around Bush like after 9-11. ~sigh~,people.

[bigtree]

4. bip

[AntiCoup2K4]

5. Junior wouldn't lose his job because....

...martial law would be declared and the election would be cancelled. In which case Junior would be "pResident for Life" or until the brainwashed Busheep finally wake up and realize they've been scammed by mass murderers all this time. No not Bin Laden. The guys who put him in business to begin with.

BTW, am I the only who thinks the subtle media whore implication here is that Osama is a "Democrat", and thus we must keep Our Great and Benevolent Dictator in office to resist his evil?