Unfortunately, I can identify all too easily with Morton Doodslag’s thoughtful comments. I, too, am a natural born optimist who feels himself steadily slipping into pessimism. We seem to be in a national state of denial. Once I thought that the best thing that could happen to break us out of this complacency would be a really scary major attack that was just barely thwarted at the last minute. That way we could have the ‘best of both worlds’ — scaring us into finally getting serious, without any actual loss of life. After the enormous “Bojinka”(sp) plot was uncovered, to blow a dozen or so airlines out of the sky simulaneously, I thought that that would finally do it. What could be more frightening than that scenario. Of course, I was wrong. Within just a matter of days the whole affair was forgotten. No big deal.
Between the liberal Democrats unrelenting obstructionism and our seeming inability to be moved be even the most blatant threats, I must admit that sometimes I find myself losing faith in our ability to cope these terrible threats.
