Reply #8: NYC is one giant window of opportunity waiting for an incoming brick [View All]

[despairing optimist]

Nothing like a bucket, or a few billion gallons, of cold water to wake a country up. I think an aroused, angry, defiant American public wasn't part of the neocon plan. If there is a terrorist attack in the coming days and weeks, I hardly think Bush will be in the same position he was four years ago to pick up a bullhorn on a mound of rubble and get many people to buy his bill of goods.

But to return to the point about being more at risk now than ever before: yes, it's certainly true. It's also true that the American public no longer trusts Bush, and that's bad news for him and his agenda. How does that make us more secure? We know that what we need to do to protect ourselves requires marginalizing the president and putting pressure on Congress. Congress was already going its own way after the last election, and after Katrina senators and representatives will have more opportunities to go their own way and support their local constituencies. It's either that or face defeat at the polls.

The Diebold factor enters into the equation only if there's a close race. If everyone knows they voted one way and the votes are counted another way, the game's over and hell will break loose. I don't think the Republicans would be so foolish as to chance a totally rigged election that everyone would agree was totally rigged. If they have any sense, they'd take a loss and come back later. If not, we may well have a civil war here. I doubt we will, though.

So while we may be at greater risk for a terror attack, we are at even greater risk of taking back our country and setting things right. No free lunch, sadly.