Foiled Again

I am so glad I'm not flying today.

The big news of today is, obviously, the terrorist plot to blow up several commercial airliners that were en route to the US from the UK. It's a big win for the British authorities that foiled the plot and arrested the majority of the plotters (some minor figures are said to be still at large).

The story as of this writing is still developing so I will refrain from too much comment right now, since more details will be coming in over the next few days.

But while I'm obviously glad that a major terrorist plot has been averted, I'm also concerned that, if this is, as some people suspect, an Al-Qaeda-inspired plot, once again Al-Qaeda may have given President Bush and the Republicans an inadvertent helping hand.

Remember that message that Osama bin Laden put out right before the 2004 presidential election? I can't help but wonder how many votes that may have swayed from Kerry to Bush. Everything that reminds people of possible terrorist attacks plays into the administration line of: "If we're not in power, you're not safe."

The only card this administration has to play at the moment is fear. And the Republicans in Congress who are desperate about their chances in the upcoming midterm elections might have been given a little help in their attempt to stay in power by whoever plotted to blow up those airplanes.

It's well to remember at times like these that, had Al Gore been in the White House in 2001, the attack on 9/11 most likely would never have happened.

Tom Moran