It's been almost five years since 9/11, and often people in the progressive blogosphere speak as if the months after 9/11 were part of a whole 'nuther time period. Yes, like then, Bush is still pulling fast ones on America. But unlike 2001-2002, we are able to openly criticize the pResident without the same degree of intimidation from Freeper-types and BushBots that we had four-five years ago. Even Kos, for example, has talked about how depressing it was when he founded Daily Kos in May 2002, of how Bush was standing politically.
The fact is, however, this "post 9/11 America," this "new normalcy" as Cheney described it, where Bush had 90% job approval numbers, and people looked the other way on Gitmo and torture, and where Democrats were ga-ga over Bush....HAS NOT GONE AWAY ENTIRELY.
The current political landscapes is a metaphorical tower of cards (of course, you could say that the political landscape is always like this...but the terrorism variable gives it extra volatility.) Like the Twin Towers, this card tower stands tall and points into the air confidently. This parellels the public's "sobering up" as more time has passed. People are not as willing to blindly support the President like they were four years ago. Unfortunately, like those planes that destroyed the towers, all it takes is for a person's finger or breath to bring down the tower or cards.
Say that, God-Forbid, another major terrorist attack occurs on American soil. What if that Miami plot actually happened?
http://news.yahoo.com/...
If you remember the public reaction to 9/11, with the flags attatched to people's car radio antennas and the fashionable wearing of FDNY and NYPD hats, the reaction towards another 9/11 will be exactly the same, only now with ribbon magnets. Masked under the guise of "this is no time for politics," people will blindly embrace the President, as he is transformed into the "War President" of 2001-2003. Chris Matthews will again slobber over his cod-piece, and the country will follow because it will be part of the political etiquette once more.
Oh...and don't think that people will complain and mention other issues, such as the economy or Social Security, or gas prices, or even Iraq (unless an insurgent link can be made...which will boost support for Iraq.) For example, according to a Cornell study of public support for Bush after terror alerts and after 9/11, his handling of the ECONOMY jumped to 72% in an October 2, 2001 survey. The economy got WORSE because of 9/11, and yet more people supported his handling of it than the 54% who supported his economic stance in an earlier July survey.
The general effect of a "9/11 part Deux" will be something like this dialogue I made up:
Joe Six-Pack: "We must support our President in this time of war. We must stop the terrorists from doing this to us again.
Kossack: "But Bush is not making safer. Just look at our borders and ports! Just look at how DHS cut funding to NYC & DC."
J 6-P: "You liberals don't get it! Our country is at war, and you have the nerve to help our adversaries by making our leader look weak!
Kossack: "But don't you remember how Bush tried to sell our ports to Dubai?!??! How he tried to privatize Social Security, and how he handled Katr---"
J 6-P interrupting mid-sentence: "Look, our President has taken a tough stance against these terrorists! None of that stuff matters if we're going to be killed. You liberals should learn to respect this country and our President and troops! He's doing a great job running this country, and I feel safer with a strong and confident figure."
....Now, most Freeper types sound like Joe Six-Pack would in the aftermath of another 9/11. However, the Freepers are part of Bush's hardcore base, and have little relevence. If we get hit again, people will look at Joe Six-Pack's comments with legitimacy and reluctantly and emotionally agree. People put their emotion above all else in times of stress and tragedy. The reason why we are only now able to attack Bush on national security issues publically without getting threatened (do you really think that we could have been able to come out aggressively against the wire-tapping program in 2002 if it were known then?) is because people have managed to grieve and detatch themselves from their knee-jerk response. But if we're hit once more, that impulse will restart.