A Series of Unfortunate Events

It appears that Rick Santorum has a new job -- fear-mongerer extraordinare. Perhaps he's auditioning as Chertoff's new assistant as "Heck of a job" Brownie. Lord knows, he'd be perfect for that job.

The winds of fear forces are apparently out in full force. Along with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff saying that he had a "gut feeling" about another terror attack, our own Rick Santorum is looking out for our fear levels and trying to keep them up there with the heat wave.

In Santorum Suggest New Terror Attacks Will Change View Of War, it's reported:

In an alarming display of fearmongering, former Republican Senator Rick Santorum has suggested that a series of "unfortunate events," namely terrorist attacks, will occur within the next year and change American citizen's perception of the war.

Appearing on the Hugh Hewitt radio show, Santorum also hyped the necessity of "confronting Iran in the Middle East," and predicted that Giuliani, Romney and Fred Thompson would be the three surviving Republican candidates who would go head to head in the race for the nomination.

Santorum went on to clearly imply that terror attacks will occur inside America which will alter the body politic and lead to a reversal of the anti-war sentiment now dominating the country.

"Between now and November, a lot of things are going to happen, and I believe that by this time next year, the American public’s going to have a very different view of this war, and it will be because, I think, of some unfortunate events, that like we’re seeing unfold in the UK. But I think the American public’s going to have a very different view," said the former senator from Pennsylvania.

* * * *

"A confidential memo circulating among senior Republican leaders suggests that a new attack by terrorists on U.S. soil could reverse the sagging fortunes of President George W. Bush as well as the GOP and "restore his image as a leader of the American people," reported Capitol Hill Blue on November 12, 2005.

With GOP's popularity in deep decline, the daily death toll coming out of the war in Iraq, the various domestic disasters such as Attorneygate and the backlash from the Libby commutation, it's no wonder that the fear factor has reared its ugly head.

The refrain has been building. In No one should look forward to terrorism, The Carpetbagger Report notes:

About a month ago, Dennis Milligan, the chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party, sounded pretty excited about the prospect of domestic terrorism. “At the end of the day, I believe fully the president is doing the right thing, and I think all we need is some attacks on American soil like we had on [Sept. 11, 2001], and the naysayers will come around very quickly to appreciate not only the commitment for President Bush, but the sacrifice that has been made by men and women to protect this country,” Milligan said.

Richard Blair of All Spin Zone, Santorum On Terror Attacks and Wishful Thinking, puts just the right spin on it:

[T]he former senator seemed to be pining for some type of domestic U.S. threat to recharge the GOP’s batteries. And Santorum isn’t the only former GOP official longing for the halcyon days of 9/11 and war fever.

Again, and not to put too fine of a point on it . . . the last thing America needs is to put people in power who have such an incredible perceived stake in a successful terrorist attack in the U.S. It’s friggin’ scary if you think about it. The GOP has a bigger stake in a terrorist attack than bin-Laden.

See also, Jon Swift, Do We Need Another Terrorist Attack?.

Tags: News, Politics