Boing Boing: Law enforcement memo of “imminent” terror attack?
It's can't-lose politically. Scare some marginal voters to vote for Bush, CYA if there is an attack, claim credit for stopping it if there is not.
Of course a climate of fear plays right into the terrorists' hands, but who knows, maybe they vote too…
It’s also can’t lose because placing law enforcement into a frenzy with recommendations to “be aware of any situation that may be out of the ordinary” during (oh, gosh) get-out-the-vote high season will almost certainly lead to law enforcement actions that impede GOTV.
I’m going door-knocking this weekend in Minneapolis. I’ll post here if I see anything untowards.
I find it ironic that Bush keeps blaming all the economic ills of his presidency on the 9/11 attacks while the constant screaming that we’re about to be attacked again any day has actually had a far more severe impact. It’s as if the reaction to the damage caused by a hurricane was to give another hurricane warning every week, but to not tell where the hurricane is, how powerful it is, or where it’s expected to hit land. You could shut down the entire southeastern US that way for years if only hurricane tracking information was classified.
Its worse than that, Mojo, when you include the civil liberties flying out the window with each new warning…the purpose of Ashcroft’s “conference call” to 93 people was in large part to suggest an increase in “overt surveillance” of possible terrorist suspects…Its more like you give the new hurricane warning every week, and go ahead and evacuate the state and disrupt people’s lives just in case….