Be Afraid

The Toronto Star runs a story on the fear-mongering afoot with the Bush administration.

"This is an administration that is not shy about using terrorism for political purposes," said Robert Boorstin, a former official in the Bill Clinton administration, now a senior scholar at the liberal Center for American Progress.

"This is an unbelievable attempt to say to the American people that Al Qaeda wants to attack us because they want Bush to lose, when the fact is Bush is Al Qaeda's number one recruiter.

"This is a campaign based on fear and the message is `Don't switch parties, we will keep you safe, we are in charge here,'" Boorstin said.

"But it is fear-mongering. It is Chicken Little politics. How many times can you say the sky is falling before people no longer trust you?"

At a background briefing for reporters after Ridge's comments, officials were only slightly more forthcoming with details.

"(There is) an intent and preparation to carry out major attacks that would inflict major casualties, as well as to create economic damage, political damage, psychological damage to the United States," one official said.

The intelligence officials also said there was concern about attacks on polling stations on voting day and reiterated that New York and Los Angeles remain prime targets.

Attacks on polling stations. In NY and LA. Hmmmmm. I guess al Qaeda wouldn't dream of hurting Americans in some solid republican state, would they. No, of course not. But in the interest of performing our patriotic duty to cower in fear, shop online, and just trust Bush to let Cheney protect us, you liberals on the coasts should just stay home on November 2. For your own good.

Everybody clear now?