If Bush can hand over authority to Iraq by June 30th, in the midst of daily bombings that are killing soldiers and civilians, then they can hold the Presidential elections on November 2.

Delay the election and it will start a revolution.

Under no circumstances should the vote be taken away from the people. But I can see why they think they can do it – they did it in Florida in 2000.

Homeland Security evidently has the authority to delay the Presidential election in the face of a terrorist attack. That is exactly what Bin Ladin would love, the voice of the people being taken away by the very president that said he was trying to establish democracy in the Middle East.

This talk of delaying the election will encourage Bin Ladin to attack, not stop him. He would love to think he could have that power over our election cycle.

What we should do is hold our elections no matter what. Put our noses up to Bin Ladin and push democracy forward. That would be the proof that he can’t influence our elections.

But it does fit into the new campaign tactic the Bush camp is employing: Keeping the John-John’s out of the news cycle.

After John Kerry announced John Edwards as his VP pick, the John’s had a positive grip on the news cycle for two whole days. That was until Tom Ridge held a press conference about a terror event.

But when you deconstruct it, you can see there is no terror threat, unless you consider how terrified the Bush campaign is getting. Ridge could offer nothing: no dates; no times, no idea of what Bin Ladin might try to do, or where he might try to do it. Then he said he would wasn’t raising the terror threat color (what is it now, Puce?). Ridge even said he had no specific or credible information about threats to the political conventions. In other words, someone had to do something to end the Kerry news cycle so they send Ridge out on TV. How dare they play these games for their campaign.

Now the talk has shifted. Ridge can delay the election. Is this how far they will go to keep the monkey in power? If they delay the November 2nd election, they’d have to announce an alternative date. Then what? Bin Ladin will try to disrupt that election.

Saddam was a dictator, for sure. But I wonder what country will invade us to reestablish democracy here.