What's In a Word? Bush's Terror Warning

This diary is about some small but creepy word choices our president made last week; it's about the odd and bothersome phraseology of the following:

Bush Pushes for House Action on Eavesdropping Rules After Senate Passage
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Associated Press

WASHINGTON —  President Bush pressured the House on Wednesday to pass new rules for monitoring terrorists' communications, saying "terrorists are planning new attacks on our country ... that will make Sept. 11 pale by comparison."

Um, should that sentence not read "Terrorists may be planning new attacks...that could make Sept. 11 pale by comparison."

Or even, "We have strong evidence that terrorists are planning new attacks...that may make Sept. 11..."

It's really that word will that creeps me out the most.

Given that Lieberman has recently tasked key governmental agencies with providing a plan for nuclear terrorism on American soil, and given that we've had five years of purposely misleading and/or false "terror" alerts, I sure hope Bush misspoke. I will not put on any tinfoil here, but lord knows I will breath a sigh of relief when this man and his network of neocon nutjobs is finally gone.

•  here's to

  getting through 2008 w/out any terror of fear

  by gnat on Sun Feb 17, 2008 at 09:07:20 PM PDT

  •  the tail can only wag the dog if the dog lets it

    by TAPayne on Sun Feb 17, 2008 at 09:11:38 PM PDT

•  Isn't this grounds to be called before Congress?

  Bush should be called before congress to explain what he knows that we do not.

  by The R and The M on Sun Feb 17, 2008 at 09:23:58 PM PDT

  •  lots of luck w/that

    there's a LONG list of things Bush & Cheney need to be called before Congress about, but the Democrats have shown zero inclination to do so.

    by gnat on Sun Feb 17, 2008 at 09:27:55 PM PDT

•  Does he know that it's coming...

  but is going to let it go forward to help out McCain?

  We need to make the point loudly that if he knows of the plan and fails to stop it, Republicans should be consittutionally barred from holding office.  Holding American lives hostage for partisan gain like this should be grounds for impeachment, followed  by something much more severe, appropriate for mortal traitors to this country.   (I believe Bush's own analysis of such a situation would reflect the fact that he is in favor of the death penalty, right?)

  by Guinho on Sun Feb 17, 2008 at 09:28:42 PM PDT

  •  who knows what he knows

    there is a wall of secrecy and deceit surrounding this administration that makes one wonder about everything they say. But certainly the Dems have proven less than eager to challenge the executive on anything, and have consistently given into Bush and provided him w/all he's wanted.

    by gnat on Sun Feb 17, 2008 at 09:31:43 PM PDT

    •  Where is he now?

      
      So, George W. Bush knows that we will suffer another terrorist attack and that it will be worse than 9/11? Every time he leaves this country
      to give some more of our money to a foreign nation, it worries me for more than one reason. One being that a person who knows something bad is about to happen will go somewhere to avoid
      it and protect himself.  
      

      by Skylor on Sun Feb 17, 2008 at 09:48:52 PM PDT