Democrats should expect that a major tactic to be employed by the Republicans in the coming election will be the issue of "terrorism".
Look for campaign ads exploiting the images of 9/11, the Flag Pins, and the rhetoric about "Islamofascism" and the threat to the "Homeland".
And just wait for the media circus surrounding the spectacle Government has prepared for the summer:
The War Crimes Trials of Khalid Sheik Mohammed.
KSM, the alleged 9/11 mastermind, and his four co-defendants will be arraigned on Thursday, June 5th.
The summer will see several more developments in the trial.
But the Government has the big show (The Trial) scheduled to start.....
You guessed it- four days after the anniversary of 9/11 and 6 weeks before the general election, September 15, 2008.
Is this timing political?
The Chief Prosecutor (Col. Morris Davis) thought so, and resigned because of the unlawful command influence upon this and other cases, a sign of the Bush Administration's unethical and illegal politicization of these trials (PDF file link).
It seems fairly clear that the Administration intends to inject Terrorism into the last weeks of the Presidential race. Although this is a somewhat stale GOP tactic (that did not work too well for them in 2006), the high profile death penalty cases of the alleged 9/11 plotters, some of whom were tortured (KSM waterboarded by CIA), will certainly provide content for Presidential debate questions and campaign commercials.
Be Prepared, Be Informed
For the best reporting on Guantanamo and the Terror trials, set this Bookmark, and read everything you can by Carol Rosenberg at the Miami Herald. The Herald has published her consistently excellent reporting and the site archives an incredible group of PDF resources. This is an example of what is right in traditional media.