The Iraq War retrospective Thread

[Occhidiangela]

I meant that some Al-Qaeda or Al-Wannabe knuckleheads are going to do something, anything, before the U.S. elections in an attempt to affect the elections. To me the question is where will it happen, and how big.

The ability to sell a link between Iran and Al Q, or other knuckleheads, isn't a sales job available anymore, given the exposure of how the Al Q Iraq conflation game played out. Bush has played that card, and both the public and the Congress are aware of that game, not so clouded in emotion now as five years ago.

Thecla was saying the U.S./GOP/whoever will use the next terrorist attack in order to justify an attack on Iran -- I was just of the opinion that the same "next terrorist attack" will be just before November.

The former is silly, the latter I think is a possibility, see the 2004 attacks in Spain.

A subsequent opinion: If that attack does happen, as I said before, some GOP knucklehead will say that Al-Qaeda wants everyone to vote for Democrats, that therefore voting for Democrats is giving them what they want, appeasement, and so therefore people should vote GOP just to show the terrorists they can't control us. To me the question is who will be the highest-ranking person to actually voice this train of non-thought.

Might be, but I don't think it will be met with much credibility, since the Bush team's long sound byte of "fight them over there so not over here" will be resurrected to point out that it was a GOP failure that set up the attack in the first place.

Hmm, now that I've thought about it some more, I'm sure McCain will say it, but it will be in the context of McCain is a better choice than Obama. He's fully entitled to say he's better than his opponent. I guess what I object to is a blanket statement that any vote against the GOP is appeasement.* Just like in 2002, 2004, and 2006. .... hmm ... well, the rabid ones, e.g., Coulter, have been saying that stuff constantly, so it's not a prediction really, it's more of a reality. ... so, never mind the GOP part, let's just see about the next al-whatever terrorist event.

Easiest thing in the world for a Dem to spin is a successful attack in CONUS is a symptom of failure of the various and sundry measures that allegedly increase our security, whereas in fact mostly all that has been done is an increase of harassment of citizens.

Occhi

*Of course, I think the terrorists prefer us to elect GOP fearmongers. It keeps all the fires stoked. Makes recruiting easier. Improves the effigy industry. Keeps things black and white -- just how conservatives like things.

The GOP successfully gave Al Q, Osama, and Zarqawi all sorts of big medicine by using hype and rhetoric to inflate their importance in the still nebulous policy meme of War on Terror.

I will be out of town for a few days, no internet, conducting my own War on Stress and War on Brain Cells. :D

I hope to have better luck that the Bush team and its war on whatever.

Occhi