Would another terrorist attack help or hurt Bush?

[yurbud]

With Bush dropping in the polls, a lot of people are worried about him leaving the barn door open to his Saudi friends again.

I'm not so sure it would work.

What would be likely outcome of another attack politically?

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Other--Actual public opinion is now irrelevant, and will be

distorted by fake polls. The screams of the masses will not be heard. Dissidents (not merely protests) will be extinguished while the deaf and blind news media continue to recite their canned messages about the highly popular wartime president.

And this just in--the chocolate ration has been increased to 35 grams per day.

[whistle]

2. I wish the answers could be more mutually exclusive for a....

...single vote of preference. Most of these require a scale type rating as to how much I would agree or disagree with the statement.

Another terrorist attack on U.S. on the scale of 9-11 would create a major polarizing effect among the highly militant factions, which would include the president, to take drastic preemptive retaliatory strikes, probably involving the use of atomic weapons, against known terrorist camps and strongholds. Not everyone in the country would support Bush on such action and certainly there would be an outcry from around the world blaming the U.S. for complete and utter failure at diplomacy. Unfortunately this president has both the authority and the power to take such actions without seeking any council or approval by the congress or the majority of the people in the United States.

Terror attacks on a lesser scale, I would hope would be dealt with directly and with proportionate retaliation. We already know that if terror strikes elsewhere in the world, like in Spain for example, this president will essentially take no retaliatory actions against terrorist holdouts, except to continue to hammer away at Iraq as though striking out an an "easy target" some how brings a message to terrorists that they would be next unless they know what is good for them.

[mopaul]

3. i think it would actually help him

in some perverse way, just like the first time.

[kansasblue]

4. help or hurt

I think the country would again turn it focus on the review of anti-terrorist projects and find them wanting. And see the #1 domestic agenda of the admin is SS, not terrorism.

[BillZBubb]

5. It would help him short term.

The sheeple always rally around the President, even if he is an incompetent moron.

[noonwitch]

6. There are too many variables to predict anything

It would depend on many things.
1. Method and body count.
2. Who is allegedly responsible (al Queda, militia-men, radical conservative israelis, like the guy who killed Rabin, the IRA?)
3. Where it occurs-military target or civilian? Blue state or red? Were kids and families specifically targeted?
4. What is Bush's immediate response? Does he take out those responsible, or does he get on tv looking all scared again?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. A green light for the draft and war. Americans are suckers.

Show a bunch of bodies, flags waving over the rubble, a constipated looking Bush, throw in some grim looking generals and everybody will have the Stars and Stripes decorating their porches and flying from their car antennae, and singing "God Bless America" with tears streaming down their faces.

All of the Republicans will decry dissent and 90% of the Democrats will cover their asses by calling for "unity" while rubberstamping everything that the Shruberator demands.

The "Gulf of Tonkin" redux.