Warning Red, Will Robinson

Yesterday, responding to Joe Lieberman's loss in the Connecticut Democratic primary, Dick Cheney said the victory of anti-war candidate Ned Lamont will encourage al Qaeda and other enemies of America. "The thing that's partly disturbing about it is the fact that, [from] the standpoint of our adversaries, if you will, in this conflict, and the Al Qaeda types, they clearly are betting on the proposition that ultimately they can break the will of the American people," Cheney said.

White House press secretary Tony Snow talking yesterday about Lamont's win, invoked the phrase "a white flag in the war on terror."

Then lo and behold, we wake up this morning to find our country has gone to security alert Code Red in response to a terrorist plot discovered in Britain. MSNBC reports that Bush has known about it for "several days," and British security has been tracking the situation for several months.

Timing is everything, eh?

"This is a nation at war"

Young Mister Bush gave a quick speech at noon eastern time.

"We're at war with Islamic fascists." Kudos to embattled British Prime Minister Tony Blair. U.K./U.S cooperation was excellent. Cooperation within America's agencies was excellent. "It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to America." "We will take steps necessary to protect the American people."

After making his remarks, Bush took off to attend a GOP fundraiser.

Please note: I am not suggesting that this foiled terrorist plot was a hoax. But it certainly was a grand opportunity for Rovewellian manipulation, and this administration has taken and will take full advantage of it.

Not until after the arrests were made--21 Brits of Pakistani origin, from the latest reports--did the administration decide to announce knowledge of the plot and set alert condition Code Red for "flights originating in the United Kingdom bound for the United States" and Code Orange for "all commercial aviation operating in or destined for the United States." All this, of course, after the immediate danger has passed.

Which means that for all the months leading up to the arrests, as the danger was mounting, crummy old Code Yellow was security enough?

GOP luminary Pat Buchanan and MSNBC's new anchor Michael Smerconish, a former Philadelphia right wing radio host, are talking right now about how, hey, we need to be able to torture these guys we arrested so we can find out what else they know. They're all het up about immigration and border security. Michael asks if the American people will finally have the stomach to profile suspected terrorists.

Stand by for the right wing noise machine to attempt use this latest exposed terror plot as a panacea to deflect any and all criticism of the Bush administration. NSA domestic spying? Hey, this proves we need it. Same thing with torture. Same thing with Iraq. Same thing with Afghanistan. Same thing with Iran. Same thing with Israel. Same thing with everything. The same old thing, only more of it.

Son of a gun, Smerconish just reported a story about two kids in Ohio with Islamic sounding names getting busted on terrorism charges. Funny how that story's just now bubbling to the surface, isn't it?

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Commander Jeff Huber, U.S. Navy (Retired) writes from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Read his commentaries at ePluribus Media and Pen and Sword.