Terrorists at the White House!

Anyone check the terrorists for bombs or bugs?:

President Obama mocked the Washington area's Defcon 1 response to a few snowflakes last week. Let's see how the flinty Chicagoan does with the latest living-in-Washington challenge: critters.

With permission from the Secret Service, the National Park Service has been in hot pursuit of a pack of raccoons spotted roaming the manicured grounds near the White House, a spokesman said.

(h/t to Mahakal of Cannablog)

But the worst terrorist is one hatched on our own soil and newly jobless, Dick Cheney.



Keith Olbermann:

"I think there's a high probability of such an attempt. Whether or not they can pull it off depends whether or not we keep in place policies that have allowed us to defeat all further attempts, since 9/11, to launch mass-casualty attacks against the United States."

"The Bush System," as John Yoo so aptly re-christened it the other day. Start the wrong war, detain the wrong people, employ the wrong methods, pursue the wrong leads, utilize the wrong emotions. Beat up first, ask questions later. You know, just like Al-Qaeda does, or Iran. Save this nation from terrorists by doing the terrorists' work for them, Mr. Cheney. To your credit, sir, you have added a new monster under a new bed, to try to continue to foment a national policy of panic. It's the Terrorists-on-our-streets ploy.

It's when not if for another terrorist attack, Mr. Cheney. But it won't be President Obama's fault when it does happen. In your eight horrible long years in office you've made more people become terrorists than Bin Laden could ever have wished for. But your love of secret shadow governments and rendition and torture is all your own and very un-American. Besides, it's not very subtle but you're almost begging al-Qaeda to attack on Obama's watch just to prove a point, that your style of 'governing' is better than his.

So kindly slink back into the shadows. Even the New York Times editorial board wishes you would go away:

In an interview published today by the website Politico, the (thankfully) former vice president let loose a stream of disinformation and attacks on Mr. Obama that were breathtaking even by the standards of a man who set new lows for meanness and dissembling.

For example:

– Mr. Obama is making it more likely terrorists will launch a catastrophic nuclear or biological attack on the United States — because he doesn’t want to torture prisoners, violate the Geneva Conventions, and ignore the Constitution and federal law.

Mr. Cheney’s evidence? None whatsoever. It was just yet another way for him to justify the repugnant policies he helped put in place for the treatment of detainees after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

– Mr. Obama is “more concerned about reading the rights to an al Qaeda terrorist” than “with protecting the United States against people who are absolutely committed to do anything they can to kill Americans.”

Once again, this is nonsense — just the sort of bald propaganda Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush used to frighten Congress into voting for appalling pieces of legislation like the Military Commissions Act of 2006, the Patriot Act and warrantless wiretapping.

Cheney's list goes on, but the article finishes with this fervent wish:

After reading the interview, we found ourselves wishing Mr. Cheney would simply retire and stay out of the public eye — to a great extent.

Maybe you could hang out with the raccoons in their secure undisclosed location.