Another attack?

[machangezi]

If you want to confuse ordinary citizens, you gotta give them mixed messages. Ever noticed a dog getting confused with mixed messages (roll over, sit down, turn around, sit down doggy)? Is it a strategy to put another Republican in the oval office? I think so.

WASHINGTON, June 30: The White House warned on Monday that Al Qaeda could launch a major attack on the United States in 2009, endorsing a similar warning by an independent senator Joe Lieberman.

The warnings coincide with media reports that top Bush administration officials drafted a secret plan late last year to enable US forces to operate inside Fata, but Washington turf battles and the diversion of resources to Iraq have held up the effort.At a White House briefing, press secretary Dana Perino did not confirm or deny the reports – saying that she could not “comment either way” – but she assured US citizens that the Bush administration had never allowed a “let up” in the search for Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders.

Ms Perino, however, did not hesitate to confirm Mr Lieberman’s fears. “Unfortunately, he could be right,” she said. “We know there are people who are very dangerous and are trying to do that.”

Mr Lieberman, who was a vice-presidential candidate in 2004, said in a television interview on Sunday that history shows the United States would likely face a terrorist attack in 2009.

“Our enemies will test the new president early,” he said. “Remember that the truck bombing of the World Trade Centre happened in the first year of the Clinton administration. 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration.”

At the White House, Ms Perino noted that the people who were planning to attack the United States were “very dangerous and very secretive,” and operated from “a very dangerous terrain, hiding in caves.”

Explaining President Bush’s strategy for dealing with this threat, she said the president was clear that “whenever we can we will take action” against such people. “We will not wait.”

She said that people hiding in this “dangerous terrain” were “plotting to kill innocent people not just in the US but in other countries as well, even Muslims like in Iraq.”

Mr Perino said that as part of its strategy to deal with this threat, the Bush administration was trying to help establish a better economic and political environment in Fata and elsewhere.

“So Senator Lieberman could be right but we are doing anything we can” to prevent a terrorist attack on the United States, she said.

President Bush, she said, was also doing all he could to ensure that Al Qaeda is routed out.

Linky US fears Al Qaeda attack next year -DAWN - Top Stories; July 01, 2008

So ordinary Americans are being treated like dogs from their Republican masters.

[Norton]

“Our enemies will test the new president early,” he said. “Remember that the truck bombing of the World Trade Centre happened in the first year of the Clinton administration. 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration.”

For the sake of argument let's take this as a given. The implication the GOP is trying to sell is Obama as President will stand idly by and do nothing whist McCain will take immediate action. Are ridiculous arguments like this and scare tactics to keep people in a state of fear the best the GOP has to defeat Obama? Seems to be the case. So long GOP. Get your house in order and I may even start to take you seriously!

[barbaro]

Yes, I read this too, Macha.

Very shameless pandering to the masses. Again, low-info voters.

Last Summer Chertoff (and Israeli citizen) who heads the Department of Homeland Security stated:

'I can feel another attack coming this Summer.' (This was the Summer of 2007.)
He never provided any evidence for this. He just went on the media and said he could 'feel another terrorist attack coming.' Oops. Never happened. But you need to keep the threat in people's minds.

What happened to the color codes. Today the terrorist color code is orange. Yesterday it was red. pink. I like blue. It's one of my favorite colors.

If it wasn't so sad, it'd be funny.

[rawlins]

Republicans will use the politics of fear to gather up support as they get nearer to the election.... Another attack would give them a boost in the polls.

[machangezi]

A few days ago, I heard one of McCain's advisers saying that another terrorist attack would be very beneficial for McCain. Did you guys listen to it? I think the latest news, posted above, is a part of bigger plan.

[Bugs]

There might be some fear mongering involved but the point should not be dismissed. There was a significant terrorist attack in the first term of each of the last two presidents.

Now this point alone does not mean an attack is more likely to happen in '08, but the point certainly should not be dismissed. Attempting to pull something off in a presidents first term would seem to be a good prodding stratagy for any terrorist groups - poke and prod a new administration to test the reactions.

This is not to say that folks should base their vote on this one point alone (or any other one point for that matter), or that McCain or Obama would react significantly different to such an attack.

Not sure this can be stricly categorized as red team fear mongering as Mr. Lieberman (the '04 blue team VP candidate) was one of the folks making the comments - although Lieberman is pretty close to McCain, so maybe he is on the purple team?

And I am not sure where the mixed messages mentioned in the OP comes into play based upon the artical? Where they telling the American voters something else before?

[machangezi]

And I am not sure where the mixed messages mentioned in the OP comes into play based upon the artical? Where they telling the American voters something else before?

That was a reference to Bush's mixed messages which I discussed in length in another thread.

They were indeed giving mixed messages such as:

"OBL is the most dangerous person walking the earth"

"OBL is not my priority"

"Must capture OBL"

"There's no threat to American people"

"Another terrorist attack is imminent" etc etc

[Bugs]

^Thanks for the clarification.

[Bugs]

^^Not to disagree with the premise of the mixed messages - or to defend President Bush for that matter. But it's not uncommon for politicians to mold a message to the audience of the day. Send a message of all is well with the world to promote the good job they are doing. Next day send a message of how high the risk is of an imminent attack to promote how devoted they are to protecting the populace.

And as it relates to Osama; Not really surprised by a claim earlier that Osama was not a priority - as they had not found him yet (nor have they still). And it did not really surprise me as his tenure comes to a close that he pronounced a last big push to catch da' man - though I doubt we'll see results from said last ditch effort.

[Texpat]

But it's not uncommon for politicians to mold a message to the audience of the day.

That's why some of us are making global decisions in the White House and some of us are posting opinions on a Thailand expat forum. Too complex an idea for some to comprehend.

[machangezi]

^ Hmm, good to see you making decisions in the oval office and not on a Thailand expat forum.