HOME | BIO | MUSIC | JOURNEYS BY DJ | STUDIO BLOG | POLITICAL BLOG | BOOKING INFO | CONTACT

I'm with Josh on this....

It's one thing when the adminsitration was moving the color coded terrror alert system up and down willy nilly in the run up to the last election; it's another thing entirely when the UK cancels flights and shuts down part of Heathrow.

But that said, I'm fully aware that these people have already proven themselves eager to manipulate the issue of terrorism, including manipulating warnings themselves, to win elections. And given comments like these, the timing does seem a bit, well... coincidental, doesn't it?

Correlation, of course, is not the same thing as causation, and in the absence of evidence we must all be very careful not make false claims. Then again, the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence...

For the record, I'm not suggesting that the threat is not real. Of course it is. And I'm really tired of having to defend my side in the debate from the charge that they don't take this issue seriously. Speaking for myself, it is this administration's apparent lack of seriousness over the issue that actually bothers me most. Speaking for all of us, I'll let Digby do the trick.

We aren't, after all, the ones who politicized this issue. They are. (For the record, here's former Sec. of Homeland Security Tom Ridge admitting as much back in 2005). I would much prefer that we look at this as a nonpartisan issue, as one in which it is security and security alone that matters. But through their actions they have made that impossible. I shouldn't have to question something like this. I should be able to believe that, when it comes to national security, my government is focused only on national security. But I simply cannot.

But... if this plot was in fact real, kudos to both the US and UK governments for thwarting it. That would be a major victory, and something of which we can all be proud.

UPDATE: One additional thought about this. Remember that back in 2004, Kerry argued that our focus in thee war on terror should be more on law enforcement and less on military action. For that he was widely criticized. And yet, as Will Bunch and Carpetbagger point out, this is yet another example of a victory that comes at the hands of law enforcement. Just a thought...

UPDATE II: Ivo Daalder looks at this from yet another perspective, as does Jim Henley