What the heck is Mueller talking about??

[Sparkly]

"In the wake of what happened in Madrid, we have to be concerned about the possibility of terrorists attempting to influence elections in the United States by committing a terrorist act," Mueller said. "Quite clearly, there will be substantial preparations for each of the conventions."

What is that supposed to mean? How and why and in which direction is he implying terrorists would seek to influence our elections through attacks? Is this a way to innoculate the administration in case an attack occurs?

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/03/25/mueller.interview.ap/index.html

[alcuno]

1. Spin, spin, spin.

It's their way of trying to get the American people to believe that the Spaniards were weak and gave in to terrorism.

[Sparkly]

2. I think so, and it lets Bush "win" either way.

If there's an attack (as Rummy told us today there will be!) a vote for Kerry is a vote to appease terrorists.

If there isn't an attack, everybody can laud the Bushies' success in preventing it, while they remind us to be afraid that it could happen under a "weaker" administration.

[linazelle]

6. Plant, plant, plant...they are planting the idea of a need to stall

elections in the event of a terrorist attack. This is not the first time in recent weeks it's come up. Once the skids are greased, when they actually manufacture an attack, it will be easy to suggest it to the sleeping American public. When it happens, many, especially CONs, will readily accept this ridiculous notion.

[Sparkly]

7. Why stall?

Seems to me they wouldn't even need to stall with this rationale. All they'd need to do is say "the terrorists were trying to influence our elections, just as they did in Madrid. Don't let the terrorists win!!"

Perhaps they hope that even the hypothetical idea of that will wield outrage and render votes -?

In any case, it seems to me nobody in his position should be making such statements.

[terisel]

3. I think we should tell him its his job to prevent an attack

and if he can't do he should resign.

[Sparkly]

4. Of course, but...

"We understand that between now and the election, there is a window of time in which terrorists may well wish to influence events, whether it's in the United States or overseas," Mueller said in an interview with The Associated Press.

What's the "window of time?" Why would terrorists strike before the election? Because the Bushies haven't done squat, and the supposed leader of the free world is busy fundraising?

This will be tomorrow's soundbyte (terrorists may attack to change the election against Bush), and it seems to me we need to fight it.

[Sparkly]

5. Am I pretty much the only one who thought this was HUGE

or was it already posted and discussed?

I think it's outrageous the FBI Director is implying an attack here, which we were told today would happen, would be intended to influence the election in the same way it did (supposedly) in Madrid -- ousting the incumbents.

Hello...?

[Kool Kitty]

8. I think they are starting all this yap now

so they have time to get their message out. The message will be-If terrorists attack, don't let it turn you against the Prez. That is what the terrorists want. Don't let the terrorists win-vote for Bush.

[Sparkly]

9. Exactly.

n/t

[Kool Kitty]

11. That's the first thing that I thought of.

This is bullshit. Shame, isn't it, that this government is so untrustworthy that you can't trust a word out of their mouths. I don't believe any of their alerts or threat warnings, and that is scary.
On edit-Hi, Sparkly. :hi: Welcome to DU. (I know you've been here a while, but I never spoke to you before.)

[bobthedrummer]

10. We are now HOMELAND-The Weimar Republic by proxy, kids.

Let's think about that one as we vote for Kerry in the GE.
:puke:

[AZCat]

12. My take: This is rationale for cracking down in Sept at NY convention

It seems that Mueller is trying to build a case for a crackdown on protests at the GOP convention in NY in september. We already know that the NY police are planning for 1000 arrests a day (the article is floating around here somewhere) and this seems like part of the rationale for that kind of oppression.

[maggrwaggr]

13. oh most definitely .......

As they scoop everybody up in bulldozers they'll be saying "just trying to preserve the peace, folks".