[Peace-discuss] For the October Surprise file

[C. G. Estabrook]

[From the generally awful US News & World Report, a rather candid
statement on why the administration would want a terrorist incident before
the election, viz., "...most Bushies think the nation would rally around
the president." Or, to put it another way -- Oh, please, Osama... --CGE]


White House officials say they've got a "working premise" about terrorism
and the presidential election: It's going to happen. "We assume," says a
top administration official, "an attack will happen leading up to the
election." And, he added, "it will happen here." There are two worst-case
scenarios, the official says. The first posits an attack on Washington,
possibly the Capitol, which was believed to be the target of the 9/11 jet
that crashed in Pennsylvania. Theory 2: smaller but more frequent attacks
in Washington and other major cities leading up to the election. To
prepare, the administration has been holding secret antiterrorism drills
to make sure top officials know what to do. "There was a sense," says one
official involved in the drills, "of mass confusion on 9/11. Now we have a
sense of order." Unclear is the political impact, though most Bushies
think the nation would rally around the president. "I can tell you one
thing," adds the official sternly, "we won't be like Spain," which tossed
its government days after the Madrid train bombings.

<http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/040524/whispers/24whisplead.htm>