Curious timing

Some recent events have had awfully curious timing. Actually, “convenient” might be a better word.

The Bush-Cheney Justice Department announced that it was filing charges against alleged spies who they claim sold secrets to China.

Also, the Bush-Cheney Pentagon has announced that it’s filing charges against six people allegedly behind the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The Bush-Cheney administration has held prisoners in Cuba without charge or trial for years, but now they suddenly decide to bring them to an unconstitutional military tribunal. Why now?

Meanwhile, Fox “News” Channel was reporting over the weekend on the theft of two diesel tanker trucks, always mentioning the possibility that they’d been stolen by “terrorists”. They reported that unnamed terrorists said they wanted to steal such tankers to use as bombs. Fox commentators always talked down that possibility—after they raised it to talk about, thereby creating the fear in viewers’ minds that the thefts were part of a plot (authorities say that plain theft of the fuel was the motive).

I’m certainly cynical and distrustful of everything that the Bush-Cheney regime and its hard-right allies do, but all of this is awfully convenient for the Republican nominee. The tribunal proceedings will likely begin during the campaign in which their nominee will attempt to paint himself as tougher on terrorism. Reminding Americans of the 9/11 attacks, the Republicans think, will help their candidate. The charges against the alleged “spies” is similarly intended to make Americans fearful of hidden enemies, as is hyping talk of an imaginary terrorism-related theft.

All of this is classic Rovian fear-mongering, intended to scare the shit out of Americans so they vote Republican. With their probable nominee being fought by hard-right conservatives, and in trouble with the centre for saying that Americans don’t care if the Iraq war goes on for another hundred, thousand or ten thousand years. Republican campaign plotters realise they need to deflect attention.

The question is, will Americans be fooled again?