After all of the other reasons he gave for invading Iraq failed to hold up to the light of truth, e.g., Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and Iraq was harboring terrorists, arming terrorists, had killed and tortured their own citizens, were conducting evil experiments on puppies, etc.
Then the Bush Administration started to use the line about "fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here". Most rational beings understood that was a false argument.
Terrorists will go where they choose to go regardless of where Bush puts our troops.
Yet when Al Qaeda planned and executed devastating attacks in Midrid and in London, Bush ignored them and continued to argue that the was
"fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here".
Clearly in his mind, when terrorists attack our allies or even our own embassies in other countries, they are still "over there" and not "here".
Republicans will twist today's incident into the following talking points:
1. Terrorists are dangerous and that is why we must fight them over there [Note: Someone tell Blair that his country is now "over there".]
2. This is an example of why we need a strong defense and Democrats are weak on Defense.
Democrats need to respond quickly, firmly, and decisively.
Unfortunately that rarely happens, so I suggest the following -- at least for today:
1. Bush's foreign policy is a total failure
* Fighting "them" there has not stopped them from plotting to attack us here.
* Invading Iraq has created a training ground and recruiting center for terrorists.
* Bush and his Administration have been incompetent in prosecuting the war in Iraq and as a result they have increased the danger we face at home from Terrorists
* Bush has had nearly 5 years to capture Osama Bin Ladin and has failed to do so even though his own experts in the CIA and military have stated that they could have captured him if the troops and equipment had not been diverted so quickly from Afghanistan to Iraq
* The same incompetent Administration that has failed to enact an energy plan and failed to not just help the citizens of New Orleans immediately before and after Katrina, but have still failed to provide them necessary assistance, is the same incompetent Administration that claims to be able to protect us better than any Democrat. Circus animals could have done a better job at many of these tasks.
2. Bush & The Conservative Agenda is a Failure
*Are you better off financially today than you were 5 years ago?
*Is the world a more peaceful place than it was 5 years ago? (I don't recall being threatened with nuclear attacks when Clinton was President.)
* Do you feel more secure in your job today than you did 5 years ago?
* Do you worry more now about being able to make your house payments?
*Do you worry more now about the world in which you are bringing up your children?
If you feel more at risk financially and that the personal safety of your family is now more at risk than ever before, realize that these fears are real and they have been brought to you by the Conservative policies of the Republican party. The only people who are doing better are the extremely weathly who benefit from the REpublican tax schemes (plus they own their own jets so they don't have to worry about being hijacked or blown up in mid air when taking their families on vacation.)
Democrats need to step up NOW and frame this issue as a failure of Bush's Administration and as a failure of Bush's Foreign Policy before Rove frames it as "see what happens when Democrats try to cut and run".