Charles Krauthammer is an interesting wingnut. He recently wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post telling us that the terrorists don't want Bush to be re-selected. If he was running against a moose, they'd want the moose to win. This means, naturally, that all good Americans should vote for Bush, because otherwise they'll be dancing to the tune of the terrorists.
And how do the terrorists express their opinions on the American presidential election? Krauthammer believes that they do it by practising what they normally do: terror:
It is still prudent to be on high alert at home, because it is not wise to bank on the political sophistication of the enemy. The enemy is nonetheless far more likely to understand that the way to bring down Bush is not by attack at home but by debilitating guerrilla war abroad, namely in Iraq. Hence the escalation of bloodshed by Zarqawi and Co. It is not just aimed at intimidating Iraqis and preventing the Iraqi election. It is aimed at demoralizing Americans and affecting the American election.
There you have it: another wingnut opinion which boils down to arguing that not voting for Bush is unpatriotic, almost treasonous.
But what are the facts in the case? As we can't send the Gallup people to poll bin Laden and Zarcawi, the best alternative is to seek other opinions:
...on March 17, Reuters reported evidence that suggests precisely the opposite: In a statement claiming responsibility for the Madrid bombings that killed nearly 200 people in March, the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades -- a terrorist organization claiming ties to Al Qaeda -- said it wants to see Bush reelected in November. And on September 21, The Guardian reported that the British ambassador to Italy, Sir Ivor Roberts, called Bush "the greatest recruiting sergeant for Al Qaeda."
In other words, the opposite claim is at least equally probable as Krauthammer's theory. That he advocates such an odd view of the U.S. presidential elections only tells us that the wingnuts are still campaigning on debate being unpatriotic and on some weird confusion between Bush and the American flag. And on fear, fear and fear.