London plot is political 'life preserver' for Bush: Experts

[Kadie]

London plot is political 'life preserver' for Bush: Experts
by Olivier Knox
6 minutes ago



CRAWFORD, United States (AFP) - The alleged London bomb plot has somewhat brightened US President George W. Bush's political fortunes ahead of critical November 7 legislative elections, experts said.

"In terms of any impact it may have on the midterm elections, it's something of throwing him a life preserver when he's not being held up by anything else," said Stephen Hess, a scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

"What this does is, it makes it marginally more likely that the Republicans retain control" of the Senate and the House of Representatives," said Eric Davis, a political science professor at Middlebury College in Vermont.

Both analysts said that Bush's Republican Party tends to do better when national security issues drive an election, but emphasized that a key benefit for Bush is that the plot may distract voters from other concerns, such as Iraq.

"Anything that changes the subject is a plus, but certainly that brings the story back to September 11th, which was his shining hour, the response to that, is a plus," Hess said in a telephone interview.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060811/ts_alt_afp/britainusattacks_060811235901

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. They've got to be kidding

no one's buying this bs anymore.

[Kutjara]

2. What is these guys' area of 'expertise'?

Spinning everything to BushCo's advantage? Honestly, talk about trying to get blood out of a stone.

[hopeisaplace]

3. someone posted an article (sorry don't have it) that this was

virtually a copy cat attempt at the same thing in 1998 (I think it was 1998)
..British officials foiled the previous attempt I think it said...

[niyad]

5. believe it was called operation bojinka (sp??)

[hopeisaplace]

7. can't remember myself either, :) n/t.

[niyad]

9. it was "oplan bojinka", mostly referred to as "operation bojinka" and if

you google "bojinka", you will certainly get an education.

[calico1]

4. I think most Americans have gotten pretty

sick of this. How many times can you do this and get away with it? I don't think anyone but his wacko fringe base is buying this anymore.

[City Lights]

So the "eggsperts" are setting the stage for Diebold.

That bush sure is a lucky guy...

:nuke:

[Virginia Dare]

6. I'm sure that's very comforting..

for all the people that were frightened and inconvenienced this week. Well, at least it was a good week for the Chimphead.

[niyad]

8. they are clearly working on the "big lie" theory-- say something often

enough, even if a lie, and people will believe it.

[Der Blaue Engel]

10. All this article does is establish motive

Who stands to benefit? They say so right in the headline! Anyone who can't see it is simply squeezing their eyes shut.

[ovidsen]

11. This should be a LIABILITY for Bush

If this plot is genuine (and that's likely) it was uncovered and exposed by the British with virtually no help from the US. While the US conducts a futile campaign against horrible "Islamofascists" in Iraq, the real terrorists formulate their deadly schemes in Pakistan, among other places...

Once again, BushCo was asleep at the switch, preoccupied with the Iraq adventure, and obsessed with it's unconstitutional attempts to crush anyone who questions it's policies. The result is that it's now oblivious to other, very real, very deadly threats to the US.

True American patriots have an obligation to point this out.

[ThomWV]

12. So The War On Terror is A Distraction For The War On Terror?

"but emphasized that a key benefit for Bush is that the plot may distract voters from other concerns, such as Iraq"

So is what I'm seeing is Bush using his version of the war on terror as a distraction for his failure in the war on terror.

[davekriss]

13. Uh huh. Of course. Check.

And I recall all the alerts and thwarted plots that preceeded 2004 and 2002, too. F*cking fascists!

[NRaleighLiberal]

14. ..."Sept. 11, which was his finest hour"....article is worthless based on

that line. So it's no longer about us, the people, our lives and our welfare - its all about Georgie and his waning popularity. Pathetic.

[longship]

15. Fucking Bollocks

This is just so much rubbish.

Listen today's statements to the press from Senator Harry Reid and from Senator Charles Schumer.

Oh!! That's right. None of the reporters who heard these two statements have bothered reporting them.

Oh Dear!

[bananarepublican]

21. Don't be so cryptic! ...

"F*cking bollocks!" I like it.

I actually thinks more bogus terror plots will be exposed before November 7. They'll explain the increased activivity as being Al Qaeda's wanting toi stage a fifth anniversary extravaganza.

Unfortunately, too many will buy the snake oil.

[longship]

24. I do not think this was bogus.

What's bollocks is the Repugs attempting to explot it politically.

And both Schumer and Reid called them out on it.

[bananarepublican]

25. After reading "Synthetic Terror - Made in the USA" ....

I'm a little more sceptical than you are. To me history jusn't happen, it is pre-planned.

It's still great that Harry and Chuck came out strongly against the "wepublicans" (since the Cheney shooting I think the GOP's mascot should be Elmer Fudd).

And you're absolutely correct in pointing out how depraved the administration's efforts to politically exploit such a thing is.

[longship]

26. Well, we'll have to see about this.

Some journalists with pretty good liberal credentials have said that this looks real. (e.g., Joe Conason)

So I am going to give them the benefit of doubt.

But what the Repugs are doing to exploit it is absolutely shameless.

[bananarepublican]

27. My view is no more valid than yours. I'd still recommend reading...

... the aforementioned book, "Synthetic Terror...".

[UTUSN]

16. If this ain't K&R, NOTHING is!!!!!!!1 n/t

[Beetwasher]

17. This Is Terrific! I'm Seeing TONS Of Stories Exposing Their Blatant

Politicization. These stories are GOOD. They make it blatantly obvious what's going on.

[RagAss]

18. How fucking pitiful...who is left to believe this bullshit ??

[MzNov]

22. Well there's one guy from Denver

a freeper who called Randi's show today.

That's about it.

[BlueStater]

19. "his shining hour"

Basically says it all, doesn't it?

[Cha]

20. The plot is a reason to CRANK

up the catapulting of propoganda..nothing more. People aren't as dewy eyed as they were after 9/11.

Yeah, bush would like to gain from other people's pain again..but too much bushit has gone under the bridge and polluted the country.

[leesa]

23. Another totally illogical jump. Isn't the guy supposedly making the world

safer from terrorism yet here's ANOTHER plot? And he had NOTHING to do with stopping it? Of course the Bushbot nitwits will fall for it.