Frank Rich: If Terrorists Rock The Vote In 2008

DON'T fault Charles Black, the John McCain adviser, for publicly stating his honest belief that a domestic terrorist attack would be "a big advantage" for their campaign and that Benazir Bhutto's assassination had "helped" Mr. McCain win the New Hampshire primary. His real sin is that he didn't come completely clean on his strategic thinking.

In private, he is surely gaming this out further, George Carlin-style. What would be the optimum timing, from the campaign's perspective, for this terrorist attack -- before or after the convention? Would the attack be most useful if it took place in a red state, blue state or swing state? How much would it "help" if the next assassinated foreign leader had a higher name recognition in American households than Benazir Bhutto?

Unlike Hillary Clinton's rumination about the Bobby Kennedy assassination or Barack Obama's soliloquy about voters clinging to guns and faith, Mr. Black's remarks were not an improvisational mishap. He gave his quotes on the record to Fortune magazine. He did so without thinking twice because he was merely saying what much of Washington believes. Terrorism is the one major issue where Mr. McCain soundly vanquishes his Democratic opponent in the polls. Since 2002, it's been a Beltway axiom akin to E=mc2 that Bomb in American City=G.O.P. Landslide.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[speakingtruth2power]

We need to hammer out the premise that the GOP creates the mindset of terrorism!

We need to repeat over and over that the GOP is the party that invites more terrorism.

The GOP w/ their secret energy plan have started the Crusade for Muslim Resources.

The GOP began America's first ever war of choice and made US a nation of torturers.

The GOP has turned America into this centuries worst, anti-democratic war criminals.

Thanks to the GOP, we are no longer respected around the world. Now we are feared.

What claim does the GOP have regarding terrorism? America has become the source!

[Ramirez]

Blame America First!

[Rescisco]

'Terrorism is the one major issue where Mr. McCain soundly vanquishes his Democratic opponent in the polls.'

Why is this so? The people who have been wrong on every misstep since 9/11, who support the blunder in Iraq, who have next to zero substantive knowledge about the Middle East, who have in fact been wrong on every national security issue over the past 40 years, benefit most from another attack? I know its true, but I just do not get it at all. McCain's national security "advantage" is an illusion that has no foundation in fact. Yet it is as real and as solid as it can be in the minds of the MSM and the electorate they misinform on a daily basis.

[Ramirez]

Maybe you are wrong and the public is right.

[biwee]

First, prior to her assassination, Bhutto said that bin Laden was dead. But, dead, or alive,
bin Laden continues to serve the Bushers. There has been no attack on the US since 911 because
Bush has not asked Mossad for a repeat of 911. But, I fear that another false flag Mossad attack is coming. This will trigger a joint US/Israeli attack on Iran. The US is already at war with Iran. Read the latest Hersch article. Bottom line:
The UNAMERICAN idiots that pushed the US into an unnecessary war of choice for Israel in Iraq
will prevail, and there will be another war for Israel in Iran. But, this time, the blowback will not be
so funny. If you like $4/gal gasoline now, you will LOVE the price when crude oil stops flowing
out of the Persian Gulf.

[speakingtruth2power]

By blaming the Mossad, do you mean 'Da Jooooooooos'?

I think the Pakistani ISI was the major foreign intelligence

agency behind al Qaeda along with some Saudi money!!!

[e2008usa]

False Allegation from a Naval aviator " McCain claims rights but has NO Experience as a Commander in Chief. Performing heroic military service is not a substitute for earning commander in Chief experience...It"s shameful if someone expect respect back but McCain, since the beginning of the Race, he had and still has nothing else to run for in his candidacy for President.

The Polls shows McCain as a looser in every matters... but Obama waits for the right time to show that the only argument he tried to make his case for on the matters of security is even not a case McCain can win as from the beginning his case was the wrong strategy as he tried to profile himself as the one he wasn't and still is not (the War Expert and ready for day one but waiting for Petraeus to give him order to do something) - watch this in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnGzfyTFwoM&eurl

McCain's role in this election is not serious - He can win back respect when he'll withdraw and thanks God for his life performances and enjoy the 21st century life style in the Obama harmony Era¦. We"re the Peoples¦ We"ve united up our forces and raised up on the top a leader of Hope to lead our Nation in a new direction and in a world we belong to and care for...in this generation and for our children generation. Forget Viet / Iraq, it is time to move on.

[Ramirez]

Instead of being afraid of terrorists we should be afraid of global warming. And FISA.
And the draft, too. McCain will bring back the draft.

[3fingerbrown]

Yes, ramirez, we should fear global warming and FISA and the draft. But we should also fear terrorism. I saw my neighbors fall a hundred stories and become flaming grease spots on the sidewalk. The threat is real.

That said, it's an awful strategy for the Democrats to downplay terrorism. Obama should embrace the issue and point out that the Republicans of the last eight years have been the most incompetent leaders this country has ever had. He should remind voters at every opportunity that the attack happened on their watch, as did the complete bungling of post-9/11 foreign policy. The way to cut into McCain's lead on the terror issue is to go on the offensive, not to downplay a very real threat.

[Toonadude]

As for the draft, the next time around you can expect an open, legal provision to be able to purchase a deferment from the draft. The rich will demand it and, after all, what good is capitalism if the successful can"t be rewarded.

[speakingtruth2power]

There is a legal precedence of this because paying another person to

serve for you was done in our greatest of wars, the American Civil War.

[longnow]

The GOP cannot afford not to have something happen. One of Two things must
happen; they either get OBL before October or an "incident" is to be "allowed"
to happen. If they can get away with both, all the better. My guess is that
Bush will take out OBL before the convention. No one will even bother
to ask why they waited because "Big John" will be posing with the Texas Ranger
and Pat Boone at the convention and the Merkin ppl will be shocked and awed
into submission.

[oliv0128]

erm...who is OBL?

[oliv0128]

nevermind, I got it.

[TheOneironaut]

Yeah took me a sec too...however, if they get OBL I will be shocked too! I think the man is dead already

[JohnTalbutt]

This is a good start. We need more discussion about the symbiotic relationship between the Bush Administration and terrorists.

[Heaphy]

Frank Rich is a national treasure. He eviscerates McCain and the far right, and backs up his critiques with indisputable facts. It is a pleasure to read every word that he writes.
- Jim Heaphy

[Krikkit]

The ONLY remedy for fearmongering is apathy.

I know, we've been told apathy is a "bad" thing, over and over and over again. And we get tired of listening to it, right?

Well that's exactly how it works as an antidote. Tell us to be very, very afraid often enough and we just plain get tired of hearing it, Mr. Black. That's human nature, and it's a good thing. It protects our bodies from wearing out with the stress of adrenaline getting pumped in every time the Greedy Old Perverts say "Boo!"

There are certain metrics these bozos are relying on that just don't apply this time around. The author mentions two: gays and terrorists. He forgot to mention racism, but maybe that's because the GOP leadership says don't hit him there or they lose. Remember VA's "Macaca" moment? No doubt the GOP cantidate, Allen, was relying on that third metric to work in his favor, but it backfired.

Fearmongering is also backfiring. And with the nasty bathroom sex scandals and such squarely in the home territory of the GOP, the gay issues is an iffy one. So, they got nothing.

[MissKaren]

If there is a terrorist act, I hope people will ask why Bush didn't detect it and how much he paid Al Qaeda to launch it.

[oldwiseone]

The terroists would be stupid if they attacked before the elections. If they attack after Obama is elected then they are the evil ones.

[oldwiseone]

It certainly looks like the republicans are practicing in Florida, getting ready for that big one. Are they capable of doing that? Certainly they have experience. And they certainly have a good motive. And they certainly are capable of doing that. I don't think they are smart enough to get away with it though, and if they get caught...and they will be caught, good by replublicans.

[Krikkit]

It's just the bottom of the barrel, the one's the Greedy Old Perverts lead most easily.

[donballz]

If the attack came from Al Qaeda, wouldn't that just serve to remind us that the R's have been systematically ignoring the "other war" for the past five years. If only our attackers had hidden in an oil rich nation, we might be safe today.

[MPeter]

Frank is the one reason why I bother to read the NYT. He is brilliant, insightful and honest. The rest of the are blowholes who ignore facts to peddle propaganda.

[Krikkit]

To many of us, yeah. But, it would also play into their narrative. Remember all the neocons are out there saying things like "we're gonna lose a city" and "mushroom cloud" again. If a FOREIGN terrorist strikes, they'll be able to say, "see! We told you so! The world is a dangerous place, they hate us and want to kill us, and you NEED us to protect you." It's their only hope.

On the other hand, if a domestic terrorist like McVeigh strikes again, then they are toast for not fully funding police and criminal investigation units.

[Grunty1]

My opinion is that the Repubs would be toast in either scenario.
Because we will be able to say "SEE! We told you so! The B'ush Occupation took the eye off the real threat!"

[zendem1]

It's the responsibility of the democrats to constantly remind people that 9/11 happened on Bush's watch, and that it was not the fault of the intelligence community, as he has claimed. Cons are so successful because they are able to rewrite history.
The Democrats need to reframe the 9/11 issue from a God-forsaken random tragedy by a bunch of Muslim extremists into a screw-up that never should have happened, and could have been prevented. The truth of the matter is that the Bush Administration were and are a bunch of arrogant nimrods who were and are unfit to lead.
Incidentally, why am I not seeing a campaign ad with video of Bush dancing his love jig with the Saudis, intercut with images of spinning gasoline pumps?

[Krikkit]

You can't "constantly remind" people withouthaving them tune you out. Gotta sidle up to them sideways, smile, and hit them where they are weak. Like you say, mention gas prices.

[Mojane]

On whose watch did 911 occur? Based on this alone, where is the logic of Repubs being our best bet for national security?

[BEHM777]

You are assuming that most of our fellow Americans subscribe to logic or that the Republican thugs that are in power intend to appeal to logic. Our fellow citizens by and large are not logical or critical thinkers and the thugs know and exploit this.

I do have hope for a better day--which betrays my lack of logic on that issue.

[oldwiseone]

It occured two days after the Unied States walked out of the African International Conference on race relations

[Krikkit]

Of which there is absolutely NO connection, so I'm scratching my head as to why you saw fit to bring it up...

[Doofus]

9/11 happened during one of GWB's all too frequent
vacations from reality. To prevent people from appreciating
this, Repos will continue to insist that they are JUST BETTER
at National Security, because they wear more flag pins
and are just crazy patriotic.

It's a LIE, but it works, because people accept it, which
by their rules, makes it the 'TRUTH'.

It's 'double-speak' & it's very effective.

[Krikkit]

This isn't about logic, it's about promoting a narrative that sticks. Their narrative is that the world is a dangerous place filled with terrorists who want to kill us. Democrats aren't so simplistic, so that's why the Greedy Old Perverts can claim that narrative for themselves unchallenged.

[MissKaren]

The NIE that warned about Osama's plans was ignored by a Repubican Administration, folks. The information was out there and all they had to do was read it. Since it wasn't written in crayon and had words of more than one syllable, it was not given credence. Thousand of people died because the Republicans messed up and it's up to the Democratic party to remind folks of that.

[ArtLiquidBlogspot]

Another fear-bomb attack, sounds like they are gleeful about another attack, one more fake News conference,rewind all the false comments,like Rumsfeld "Iraq is going to pay with there oil profits for reconstruction" The whole worldwide programs was meant not to work,The two Presidents Bush/?Cheney...........
simon says no leadership on my watch,,,Stalemate