There have been a lot of theories about why Dick Cheney is being so public now that he is out of office and away from his secure undisclosed location. Some say he really believes (OK, his daughter and Sean Hannity say that), some say it is to get a book deal, and some say it is the Devil speaking through a meat puppet.
But the truth is much simpler: Cheney is rooting for America to be attacked by terrorists before 2012 so he can blame Barack Obama and the Democrats. He's hoping for an "I told you so" moment to vindicate his entire dark existence and take back the country for the right wing, anti-Constitution Republicans.
They can't beat us on Health Care (well, unless we keep cowering and running away). They can't beat us on the environment. They can't beat us on reproductive rights. They can't beat us on civil liberties.
The only thing they can win on is fear, and Dick Cheney and the new Daisy ad are setting us up for that fight. They're not trying to convince people now, but to set up a public record to say, "I told you so."
Terrorism is like a presidential assassination: you can't stop a truly dedicated attacker that doesn't fear death or being caught. If an individual (see Timothy McVeigh, UnaBomber, Eric Rudolph) wants to attack a target they likely can. If a group (see Operation Rescue, SDS, al Qaeda) wants to attack a target they likely can.
There are hundreds of thousands of public places -- malls, state fairs, free outdoor concerts, sporting events, schools, municipal buildings -- in the United States that don't frisk or search or Xray people coming in and out and would be easy targets. There are even more that let you park in a basement or right next to a building. A truly dedicated attacker can cause mass fear and terror in the United States whether we torture, put up cameras, spy on Americans, give up Habeas Corpus, or elect Republicans.
This is not because of our freedoms, but because of reality. There are terror bombings in the most restrictive societies, and there are terror bombings in the freest societies. It's not about the target's ability to protect itself, but about the attacker's willingness to be caught or killed during or after the attempt.
This is what is missing from the Democratic side of the argument, because we don't want to show weakness. We may be hit again by al Qaeda or by right wing survivalists or by left wing anarchists. You can work hard to stop them, but the important thing is that you maintain what you are and work to be stronger -- a free, open society that seeks to improve the lives of all its citizens without being overly intrusive or abusive.
But Cheney doesn't care about that, even if he understands it. Neither does the RNC or the Daisy-ad remakers or Rudy Giuliani or the rest of them. All they want to do is scream from the rooftops that Obama is making us less safe, to get on TV as much as possible so there is a You Tube record of them saying it.
And then when -- and any honest security official knows its a when and not an if -- we are attacked again they will use it as a cudgel to destroy Obama, the Democrats and whatever small freedoms they have restored or enhanced prior to the attack.
They won't react like the Democrats did in 2001, standing with the President and working to find solutions (translate: bending over and saying thank you). Instead Cheney and his minions will be like Pat Robertson blaming the gays in the days after 9/11, only he will be blaming America's freedom and moral center.
They did it after 9/11, demonizing Max Cleland and John Kerry, and they will do it again. This is simply the opening gambit.
And we need to be ready for the middle game, or we will lose the end game.