Why all these Terror Alerts?

Lately,

Why so many connected specifically to the ELECTION by the Bush Administration?

Even when the evidence of imminence is weak?

Both good questions, but there is always this to explain why:(Via Billmon)

Worried about another Sept. 11-style attack?

Then you might need a little George W. Bush in your life, a new University of Arizona study suggests.

As part of a study of times of trouble, UA psychological researcher Mark Landau found that, when reminded about Sept. 11 and mortality, people wanted Bush as their leader and not John Kerry.

Further, the more someone thought about Sept. 11 or their own mortality, the more prone they were to support President Bush. "The strength (of the responses) was ridiculous," said Landau, who plans to vote for John Kerry. "These effects were found regardless of a person's political orientation."

The results from Landau's study dovetail with a recent Arizona Republic poll, which found that a majority of Arizonans surveyed felt more comfortable with the president when it came to domestic policies. Three previous academic studies seemed to confirm the UA doctoral student's findings: In times of trouble, people gravitate to charismatic leaders. It also reinforced the Bush campaign's strategy of using Sept. 11 and war-on-terror imagery in the campaign.

"Because the prosecution of the war on terror has become a touchstone of Bush's re-election campaign, one might wonder whether references to 9/11 are effective in increasing support for President Bush and, if so, why," the study says.

The reminders study was conducted in May on 157 students at Brooklyn College in New York. In three other surveys, Landau and eight researchers around the country found that when confronted with thoughts of Sept. 11 or mortality and given a choice of types of leaders, those studied most often chose Bush rather than an anonymous, less charismatic candidate.

"We had another type of leader, also," Landau said, "a task-oriented leader who said, 'Let's get it done, let's put the Stars and Stripes away and just do the job.' That leader did really badly. People need leaders. I don't think it's a liberal vs. conservative or Democrat vs. Republican thing. It's more than a practical decision people are making."

Results will be published in the September issue of Psychology and Social Psychology Bulletin.

On, and look here, another report of a threat.

The Bush administration believes more strongly than ever that al Qaeda terrorists plan to try to influence the presidential race with a massive preelection attack, a strike that is more likely to come in August or September than in October, a White House official said yesterday.

Buuuuuuut:

The White House official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity, said the government had not gleaned any new information about political motives for an attack since the spring, when administration officials began saying they were concerned about an attack in conjunction with the Nov. 2 election. Nothing to date indicates "an imminent operation," the official said.

But still, the White House wants you to remember that WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE!

I tell you, they are really running an optimistic campaign in addition to a fair one aren't they?