Republican Laments Lack of "Big" National Security "Event"

[Rose Siding]

Fred Barnes:

The problem here is that national security isn't the leading campaign issue. And saying it should be won't make it so. What's needed is an event--a big event--to crystallize the issue in a way that highlights Republican strength and Democratic weakness. It was two events--the foiled British terrorist plot and the need to comply with a Supreme Court decision on handling captured terrorists--that led to the Republican mini-rally in September.

Of course there's little time left for a major event to occur. The North Korean bomb test wasn't big enough to change the course of the campaign. So Republicans may have to rely on their two remaining assets: They have more money than the Democrats and a voter turnout operation second to none.

Digby asks those Once-Upon-A-Time-Rhetorical Question:

Is that really ok now? Republicans are now allowed to openly wish for some sort of national security "event" that would be big enough to change the course of an election? A dirty bomb in NFL stadium maybe? That would shake things up. How about an assassination? That'd get everybody's attention.

Heck, if they can't get themselves a crisis, I guess they';ll just have to depend on making an argument to the American people and letting them decide on the basis of the republican record. It hardly seems fair, does it?

They really have no boundries these days do they?

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_digbysblog_archive.html#116140031963578874

[Freedom_from_Chains]

1. I fully expect them to bring one about

as I do not see these people willfully giving up power. They're just not going to let something as insignificant as the will of the people get in their way.

[Rose Siding]

4. Sometimes neocon wishes come true.

PNAC used to wish for a "Pearl Harbor event" before 2001

[Freedom_from_Chains]

13. Yeah, odd how that worked out, isn't it? n/t

[LeftishBrit]

2. Bloody hell...

so he's practically saying, "Come on, you terrorists; why don't you try and scare people out of their wits so that they'll vote Republican?"

Isn't encouraging fear for political ends just a little too close to what the terrorists themselves wish to do?

[MadMaddie]

3. I think he want's the * cabal to come create and start

an event and point the finger at the terrorist........

[PurpleChez]

46. the repugs ARE terrorists.

[libnnc]

5. Can't be any more obvious now, can it?

I mean really. These fuckers honestly want something 'bad' to happen.

Tinfoil my ass...

[ginnyinWI]

6. and what do you call someone who wishes harm on the U.S.?

I'd call them a traitor.

[readmoreoften]

30. I call them an illegal enemy combatant.

You are not allowed to give material or moral support to our enemies.

[peekaloo]

7. They're shouting down their empty fear well and only hear echoes.

This topic was brought up on the Mclaughlin Group last night and both Blankley and Buchanan were frothing about how this would shore up Bu$h's support and help win the mid-terms for the freaks.

No shame, no morals and no true courage....the Puke trifecta.

[Marr]

8. My god- that's FRED BARNES?

When I first read it, I thought it was a blogger with no clue about what's acceptable talk and what isn't. But Fred Barnes is well-known conservative commentator. That's just sick- their movement just gets more traitorous by the day.

[texasleo]

9. One of our Dem congressfolks should have him expelled from NYC

you know, for aiding and giving comfort to the terrorists.

[yellerpup]

10. I wouldn't be surprised if Al Queda created an event

to assure that Idiot Son stays in power. They want him in position more than anyone else in the world. Who else is dumb enough to play into their hands time after time? Or, is that too obvious?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

11. No insight. No impulse control. No bounderies.

Three points of diagnosis, as defined in the DSM-IV, for a diagnosis of a personality disorder(AKA: Sociopathy).

But we knew that.

[tanyev]

12. Ideally, something that will mostly affect liberal voters.

That way they can play the fear card and let them feel good about screaming "I told you so!" A two-fer.

[bonito]

14. The Persian gulf exercise concerns me

Not much news about it here, check out the debkafile.

[originalpckelly]

15. Keith Olbermann on Monday: Fred Barnes worst person in the world!

How much do you wanna bet?

[frogcycle]

41. Somehow I think not

WPITW is always a little light hearted. I would think Keith would think this too egregious to be considered. I do expect him to slam him big time, baybe buchanan et al as well, in like maybe countdown story #3

[formercia]

16. I bet Moon had something to do with the NK test

He's openly said that a war between NK, China against Japan and the US was one of his goals. He is NK and has access right at the top. I would bet he egged the NK to hold the test before the election. They obviously weren't ready because it appears to have been a yield much lower than predicted.

Moon has a lot to lose from a Democratic controlled Congress.

[happydreams]

33. Moon and Bush family are old friends.....

More recently, Moon has been buying large tracts of agricultural lands in Paraguay. La Nacion reported that Moon had discussed these business ventures with Paraguay's ex-dictator Alfredo Stroessner.

Moon's disciples fumed about the critical stories and accused the Argentine news media of trying to sabotage the newspaper's inaugural gala in Buenos Aires on Nov. 23. "The local press was trying to undermine the event," complained the church's internal newsletter, Unification News.

Given the controversy, Argentina's elected president, Carlos Menem, did decide to reject Moon's invitation. But Moon had a trump card to play in his bid for South American respectability: the endorsement of an ex-president of the United States, George Bush. Agreeing to speak at the newspaper's launch, Bush flew aboard a private plane, arriving in Buenos Aires on Nov. 22. Bush stayed at Menem's official residence, the Olivos. But Bush failed to change the Argentine president's mind.

Still, Moon's followers gushed that Bush had saved the day, as he stepped before about 900 Moon guests at the Sheraton Hotel. "Mr. Bush's presence as keynote speaker gave the event invaluable prestige," wrote the Unification News. "Father and Mother sat with several of the True Children just a few feet from the podium."

Bush lavished praise on Moon and his journalistic enterprises. "I want to salute Reverend Moon, who is the founder of The Washington Times and also of Tiempos del Mundo," Bush declared. "A lot of my friends in South America don't know about The Washington Times, but it is an independent voice. The editors of The Washington Times tell me that never once has the man with the vision interfered with the running of the paper, a paper that in my view brings sanity to Washington, D.C. I am convinced that Tiempos del Mundo is going to do the same thing" in Latin America.



http://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/moon1.html


If you're a googler: Bush+Moon

[formercia]

34. Arrgghh! n/t

[quiet.american]

17. Odd events he points to as GOP successes

Bushco politics HINDERED, not helped the British investigation.
Committing treason against the country by dismantling the constitution is not my idea of "strength."

[spanone]

18. C'mon GOP spend a little of that funding on some new terrists.

Hell, it's been five years, your coffers should be full again, or maybe you can just contact PNAC, I'm sure they'd love to help.

:sarcasm:

[treestar]

19. I don't get why the Democrats are "weak" on national security

just because the rethugs say so. The Democrats have not had a majority in office since 911, have not had the presidency since 911, there is zero logic in assuming they are "weak" on defense just because the rethugs happened to be in office at the time.

For all we know, the Gore Administration would have prevented 911. There is nothing to this.

[Rose Siding]

24. They aren't but the media reinforces that myth, too

Media Matters e-mail detailed that today. Some of the rebuttal:

Further, as Media Matters has also documented, recent polling indicates that Democrats hold an advantage over Republicans on dealing with terrorism. For example, an October 6-8 CNN poll found that 45 percent of respondents felt Democrats "would do a better job" in dealing with terrorism versus 40 percent who indicated a preference for Republicans on that issue. The poll's margin of error was +/- 3 percent. Similarly, an October 6-8 Gallup/USA Today poll, also with a margin of error of +/- 3 percent, also gave Democrats a five-point advantage over Republicans -- 46 percent to 41 percent -- on "who would best handle terrorism"; a Newsweek poll conducted October 5-6 gave Democrats a seven-point advantage -- 44 percent to 37 percent -- on the question of "which party is more trusted to fight the war on terror"; and an October 5-8 ABC News/Washington Post poll gave Democrats a six-point advantage -- 47 percent to 41 percent -- on the question of "which political party" would "do a better job handling he U.S. campaign against terrorism." The poll had a +/- 3 percent margin of error. As with taxes, Matthews has repeatedly labeled terrorism a Republican strength, but does not appear to have yet acknowledged polls showing Democrats ahead on the issue.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200610210002?src=weekly200610210003

[treestar]

26. I wonder how many times Matthews has to repeat a thing

to make it the truth, lol! Maybe it is in the book of Republican Spells.

[jokerman93]

50. That claim

That claim that the Dems are "weak" on national security is a delightful little sound byte. It's easy to remember and easy to repeat. And best of all - it refers to absolutely nothing.

But to really understand the mind of a Bush lover one first has to understand why you never come across a Democrat who can single-handedly imitate every member of the Village People like George W Bush can when he dresses up like a tough guy. I mean, really! Remember the 9/11 bullhorn? Glorious! And what bout the "Mission Accomplished" codpiece fairy? Precious Lord! Or the fake cowboy in Stetson and big boots clearing brush all by himself like a grown-up on the pig farm? Or how about the classic "Bring 'em on" John Wayne green beret routine we all fondly remember? Of course, we can't forget the inspired genius of the "Hunt'm down smoke'm out 'n kill'm" channeling of Rambo part III back before Osama got his nose job and went off Jenny Craig.(Just lovely that was!) And then of course you have your "Anointed Prime Minister of gAWd and Self-Created War President" rainin' down all hell of shock'n awe on those nasty brown "evil doers" and heathen terrorists holed up there in Eye-Rack - all 650 thousand of 'em (so far) by golly!

Democrats are simply not capable or qualified to lead Amerika in this way. See?

That's what Republicans mean by strength. It's a kind of kitsch Nick-at-Nite-WF-Smackdown-Howdy-Doody insider thing.

Oh, never mind...

Are there any other questions at this time?
:smoke:
J

[rodeodance]

20. so, it is public now--Repus hoping for a horrible 9/11 type event! well..

[treestar]

27. Like the PNAC and their New Pearl Harbor

Whoever dies, too bad, whatever politically helps them, in their view, is best.

[babylonsister]

21. "...the foiled British terrorist plot..." Yea, that worked out well.

:eyes: Has anyone heard a word about that since a week after it happened? I'm still mad as hell about it! :grr: :grr:
Sounds like he took a page out of the PNAC agenda.

[niallmac]

22. Theres always one moron who actually SAYS what they are thinking.n/t

[The Count]

23. Dick Morris in 2004: "W should start a new war, iraq is getting stale"

Yup. They are THAT craven.
I think I will adopt the term "national security event" for intentionally instilling fear in citizens (also known as terrorism)
it explains 2001 being such a fabulous year for the bushes and 'celebrating" 9/11

[leftupnorth]

25. Typical Authoritarian follower behavior

Yes I have been reading John Dean

We will see more evidence of scandal, unethical behavior, abuse of power, etc. until the authoritarian leaders and followers are expelled from government.

You know the old saying "give em enough rope to hang themselves"? That rings particularly true with authoritarians. I have experienced it in my own life with various authority figures. Recently, my boss decided he was going to start charging cigarettes to his company fuel card. Of course, this is strictly forbidden, but he thought he could get away with it, and he did, for a while, until HIS boss figured out what was going on, then he got fired.

What made him think he could get away with it?
A decade of abusing his power, arrogance, a sense of entitlement, and plain old hubris.

That's why these guys say these things, they don't realize how bad they look, they just think they're saying what everyone else is thinking, they also think that they can get away with it.

I thank God everyday for not making me with an authoritarian personality.

[Canuckistanian]

28. The NK bomb test wasn't big enough?

What a hoot! Their response to it was pathetic.

First a mild rebuke.

Second, a call for a diplomatic solution (without any actual diplomacy).

Third, (and most importantly) Blame Bill Clinton.

Boy, that really showed them libruls a thing or two about being tough.

[happydreams]

31. Makes me wonder again if Jon "ILL" wasn't paid by Bush

to do the tests. Hell Rummy is invested in the company that sold N. Korea the nuke technology.

[Mr_Spock]

40. Makes Bush look pretty incompetant

The incompetance offsets the potential fear factor.

[Miss Chybil]

29. They've had enough "events" already and they failed in their response.

That's why they're losing. Period.

[happydreams]

32. How's that related to this?....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2363580

:tinfoilhat:

[malaise]

35. This is sick

Please sendt his to all media houses starting with KO.

[Raksha]

36. K & R This story needs to be spread far and wide to protect America.

If enough people know what this idiot said, they will be AFRAID to stage their damned "national security event" because they'll know Osama & Co. won't be the first suspects if something happens. Public opinion isn't exactly being kind to the Republicans and that could very well be true anyway, but I think we still need to improve the odds that suspicion will fall on them BEFORE any terrorist group. I'm going to e-mail Keith Olbermann about this one.

Bastards! Just when I thought there was no way they could sink any lower...

[KittyWampus]

37. Creepy

[rosesaylavee]

38. Yeah, shucky darn.

Why can't we have some local bloody deaths, you know stateside and not so far away like in Iraq or Afghanistan, to really drive home the need for electing GOP next month?

Yeah, wish we had that. That would make it all better.

:spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank:

:banghead::banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead::banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead::banghead: :banghead:

[Mr_Spock]

39. Fucking Nazi's

That's Nazi thinking, pure and simple.

[terryg11]

42. What's interesting about that is..

that the windbag Limbaugh has said every once in a while how the democrats would just love a big national crisis to say "I told you so" about. Now the other side is practically saying they need one. Nice, real nice.

[Vidar]

43. Sure sounds like treason to me

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

44. Yea, that "9/11" one worked out GREAT for them. Lots of mileage.

I bet Barnes thinks it's too bad they can't have something like THAT happen again!

[leveymg]

45. Shades of a "new Pearl Harbor" in that statement. Barnes is a 20 watt

bulb. If something like that ever does happen, this will come back to haunt him and the peckerwood press he wrote it in.

There won't be an "October Surprise", an attack timed to help the GOP, because 5 minutes later the Joint Chiefs of Staff would have Special Forces in black belaclava hoods blow their way into the RNC upper floor offices while FBI windbreakers hustle a handcuffed Karl Rove and half the White House staff into a convoy of GMC Denalis.

And, yes, they'd probably come for you, too, Fred.

That was one of the stupider things written by an editor of The Weekly Standard.

[NNN0LHI]

47. Yes another 3000 dead Americans would be very good for the Republics

They would play it up to the hilt again.

Don

[holboz]

48. So sorry Fred - you guys failed in Katrina. That was your chance to shine

and you illuminated like a turd.

The US can't survive another Republican response to a national disaster. Weren't we told if there was a huge bird flu breakout and quarantine that Americans should expect to be "on their own" for at least 1 - 3 weeks?

Or that we need to stock up on duct tape if there's a chemical attack?

These people scare me.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

49. We HAVE a big national security event, jackass!

It's called the War in Iraq.