Will another terror attack on US just before election help or hurt Bush?

[Quixote1818]

I am not totally convinced it would hurt him. Sometimes people get behind their leaders after tragedy like when 9-11 happened however since this would be the second time around people might react differently. Also many will say we are letting the terrorists win if we oust Bush. Will that kind of message resonate or will everyone just want Bush GONE! If so how bad will it hurt him? Enough to change the outcome? Not that I am hoping for a terrorist attack but I am expecting one almost for sure before the election. What happened in Spain's elections may have just increased the probability of another attack here ten fold. The terrorists now know they can change an election.

[WiltedFlowerChild]

1. It will hurt *

After all his talk of how safe we are it now can only hurt him in the event of another attack. Granted the moral quandry I am in should there be another attack and I should take pleasure in it because it supports my political leanings is entirely another question. I don't like my "leader" placing me in this position.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Attacking Iraq has already increased our risk for a terra attack 100 fold

Can't get around that. Someone is going to pay for Rummy's brilliant plan of "Shock and Awe" against Iraq. And it will be our citizens.

Don

[DemPoliticalJunkie]

3. I think it would hurt him. He's supposed to be riding on making

us safer by catching the big bad evil Saddam ins't he??

[IronLionZion]

4. Bush thrives on terror

he feeds off of fear like a parasite. He needs the people to be so afraid that they won't change leaders. Sheep are stupid, Americans are just plain retarded. (not all Americans, just the ones who support * and think he'll protect us)

[ant]

5. just a thought

I'm not good at predictions, so I won't bother, but I wanted to point out that I don't think an attack SHOULD help or hurt Bush. Terrorism really is like crime - you can't stop it all the time. You can reduce it and manage it, but eventually it's possible that no matter how much you do or how well you do it, the terrorists will get lucky. I don't think Bush is doing a good job fighting terrorism, but I also wouldn't necessarily blame him if there was another attack. (It would depend on specific circumstances.) This is something we should keep in mind because odds are there will, at some point in the future, be more terrorist attacks in the US, and they may happen under a Dem president.

[atre]

6. It depends on the media's reaction nm

[LostInAnomie]

7. It depends

If Bush becomes even more arrogant (I guess it's possible) and continues to brag about how there hasn't been another attack since 9/11, and then it happens he would be up shit creek.

If he keeps his moronic mouth shut about it and it happens he'll try to pull that dont switch horses in mid stream shit. Just enough sheeple would be scared that it would possibly work.

The attack in Spain worked because nothing like that had ever happened before and the people blamed the government for bringing it upon them.

[ochazuke]

8. Kerry needs to make an issue out of bush's cuts for domestic security

Then, another attack would be more likely to hurt *.

Kerry also needs to point out that our resources are diverted from the hunt for Bin Laden and Al Qaeda in Afganistan. (Not enough spy planes for both Iraq and Afghanistan it was reported the other day -- don't ask for a link, please)

The upshot: Bush is leaving us open for another attack, just like he didn in 8/01 when he went AWOL to Crawford, and after shelving Clinton's plans for operation Rollback.

[AntiCoup2K4]

9. Tommy Franks already told us how this would play out here.

Another terrorist attack here, and they roll the tanks down main street. Martial law time. Guess that rules out an election.

And my personal belief is that the Bush Criminal Empire is really pissed about the election results in Spain. It's the exact opposite of the results they were expecting.

Would they try it here? Depends on what the polls look like in October. If they think more than Diebold is needed, I wouldn't be surprised.

[ochazuke]

10. Today on Stufanopulgus

Fareed Zakaria (sp?) said that the attack in Spain has brought America and Europe closer together.

It's delicious how he was proven wrong almost instantly.

Now, can we expect something similar in Britain? They don't have an election soon, though, do they?

Who else might be in Al Qaeda's sights now, assuming the attack in Madrid is part of a bigger plan?