Terror Alerts Knock Democrats Off Balance (or could back fire)

[NoBorders]

EDIT: headline (not mine) a little misleading - article also says that recent warnings could backfire if people sense politics behind them)

Not really LBN stuff... Summary of the politics of the terror warnings and the fine line Kerry has to walk (I know, I know, it's Ron Fournier, but this piece isn't so blatantly slanted as they usually are.)

Interesting, hopefully effective, tact that Kerry campaign has decided to take.

Also interesting:

snip-
One top GOP operative, who works closely with Bush's political team, said the White House appeared to overplay its hand, and voters may smell politics behind the warning. A senior U.S. intelligence official said there is no doubt that the United States is in constant danger, but he was concerned enough about the timing of the announcement to ask colleagues in a weekend meeting, "Why? Why now? Why are we raising alarms about this now?"

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution from the White House.
-snip

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=703&e=2&u=/ap/20040803/ap_on_el_pr/kerry_politics_of_fear

[Gloria]

1. This AM on the BBC WS shows Newshour, they interviewed a couple

of New Yorkers about this latest terror bullshit. The segment was introduced with the comment about how some were "cynical." One guy fumed that it was real nice worrying about going to work (he worked on Wall Street) for a couple of days, only to find out that the info was old. He sounded completely disgusted.

[ItsMyParty]

2. I don't agree that it knocked "Dems off Balance"

..because Dems have been predicting this for 3 years!! And, I'm positive that the Kerry campaign and the DNC were absolutely prepared that he would get into this crap at one point or the other. Hence, I think the reason why charges of it being "old data" sprang up overnight. I think as this implication sets in, it's going to be Bush and republicans who are going to be knocked back on their butts.

[Tom Rinaldo]

3. We have to hammer at how useless the Warnings are...

and discuss their suspicious timing in that context, rather than lead with the suspicious timing aspect. Al Quada will strike again some day, no matter how many times Georgie falsely cries wolf first. Suicide Car bombs are too easy to prepare and too hard to prevent for it not to happen sooner or later, and I do think Al Quada will try to do something before the Elections, for their own reasons, not Bush's.

The public is angry about false alarms yes, but they are more angry that this government has not involved them in any understandable way in the fight to protect our country. Bush is afraid to do here what the British did in London during the IRA bombings. There is very little instruction being given to people about HOW to be vigilant, for example. If our government has no instructions to the public on what they should do differently during periods of elevated risk, why bother with the announcements at all? At best they are only trying to cover their Ass in case something DOES happen, so they can say, see we warned you. That's what Kerry can talk about. Other commentators are free to speculate on the political motives, and they already are starting to. What a sorry excuse for a policy these color codes are, instead of taking real actions to shore up defense of our infra structure and the transportation of goods and people, let alone getting at the real roots of terrorism and the climate that allows it to thrive. Bush should be nailed on THAT.

[A_Possum]

4. "Condemn anybody who questions..."

The administration on Tuesday issued a blanket condemnation of anybody who questions the rationale behind the warnings.

Heh.