Another "Cry Wolf" Vote Registered

From William O'Rourke in the Chicago Sun-Times:

The first thing to notice about the elevated orange terror alert is that it is confined to Democratic stronghold cities and states. The next is to realize that no battleground states will be subjected to formal elevated alerts, lest the security interruptions sour the swing voters residing therein.

Terror alerts are mini-"October surprises" for this administration, ready to be employed anytime President Bush wants to move the Kerry-Edwards campaign off the front page for a few days. The ''cry wolf'' factor is high. Tom Ridge's claim that his Homeland Security Department ''doesn't do politics" rings hollow, given his political background and the boss he is beholden to. Bush can shout, ''We're a nation in danger'' in the Rose Garden anytime he wishes, but the public may yet conclude that the danger is the president's judgment.