[NGTM-1R]

Then again if there was a big, invented emergency, there would be no uproar.

That requires such an emergency to
A: take place, which is asking a lot of the US government; perhaps you don't understand their limits so well as I do.
B: Last, also unlikely.
C: Not trigger giant backlash.

You could manage one or possibly two of those things. Not all three.

[Mefustae]

Backlash they can handle. There's been backlash for pretty much every governmental descision for the past few years now, but the greater American public is too cowed and stupid to make it really mean anything. They've been announcing terrorist attacks for years, so making a big announcement followed by stringent measures wouldn't be too much of a stretch. Just drop a reference t 9/11 in there, and you'll have most people locking themselves in and thinking about anything but voting. All you need to do it is in one or two democratic strongholds, and most people'll be none the wiser.

Granted, there are hurdles, but nothing the US Government can't handle in earnest. Remember, the administration has been using the threat of terrorists for a while now to diffuse tense political situations... or it could have just been several huge coincidences.

[Kosh]

A: take place, which is asking a lot of the US government;

Well, the CIA has plenty of experience with creating havoc in other countries. It isn't asking quite as much as you think it is.

[NGTM-1R]

They had actual funding then. And people actually listened to them. There's a good reason nobody in the intelligence community listens to the CIA anymore. They're tosh.

It seems a common affliction of people who don't live here to realize that this is, well, a big place. The CIA could, back in the fifties, cause what amounts to annoyance in a country that is about the size of, say, Washington state. It would cost infinitely more now, and you can't stop at one state if you seriously hope to alter the outcome of the next election. The smallest state in the US, Rhode Island, is about a hundred fifty square miles or so. If you want to seriously stop the Democrats winning the next election your best option is to knock out New England, and frankly that may not be enough, so California too. These two areas are seperated by 3000 miles and lots of areas that could vote Republican that you don't want to put under martial law. So, it's now two seperate emergencies. Maybe more, since New England is about the size of, say, the British Isles and about as densely populated. This is no mean feat. I don't think you could have a real emergency short of armed invasion or civil war that would cover even one of the two you would need.

What are you going to do? Claim Canada's invading Maine?

[Kazan]

They had actual funding then. And people actually listened to them. There's a good reason nobody in the intelligence community listens to the CIA anymore. They're tosh.

bollocks - the CIA knew saddam had ****, they told the president so much - he just conviently omitted that when he took the **** to congress

[Charismatic]

Which is bull****, they should have sniped his ass and his family, back then and there.

[NGTM-1R]

bollocks - the CIA knew saddam had ****, they told the president so much - he just conviently omitted that when he took the **** to congress

They knew that because the NSA told them.

[vyper]

They had actual funding then. And people actually listened to them. There's a good reason nobody in the intelligence community listens to the CIA anymore. They're tosh.

It seems a common affliction of people who don't live here to realize that this is, well, a big place. The CIA could, back in the fifties, cause what amounts to annoyance in a country that is about the size of, say, Washington state. It would cost infinitely more now, and you can't stop at one state if you seriously hope to alter the outcome of the next election. The smallest state in the US, Rhode Island, is about a hundred fifty square miles or so. If you want to seriously stop the Democrats winning the next election your best option is to knock out New England, and frankly that may not be enough, so California too. These two areas are seperated by 3000 miles and lots of areas that could vote Republican that you don't want to put under martial law. So, it's now two seperate emergencies. Maybe more, since New England is about the size of, say, the British Isles and about as densely populated. This is no mean feat. I don't think you could have a real emergency short of armed invasion or civil war that would cover even one of the two you would need.

What are you going to do? Claim Canada's invading Maine?

"And tonight on Fox News, why you should be ****ting a brick about our next story. But first, why the democrats [insert generic accusation of incompetence]."
"And tonight on ABC News, why you should be ****ting a brick about our next story. But first, why the democrats [insert generic accusation of incompetence]."
"And tonight on CNN, why you should be ****ting a brick about our next story. But first, why the democrats [insert generic accusation of incompetence]."
"And tonight on CBS, why you should be ****ting a brick about our next story. But first, why the democrats [insert generic accusation of incompetence]."


I trust my point is well taken.

[Unknown Target]

Yea, and then on all those stations you see the Democrats highly capable response:

[insert sound of incredible ineptitude, taking form in the words of a thousand incompetent politicians]

[NGTM-1R]

It isn't.

CNN's bias is all over the place these days. I miss it when they were predictable.

"And tonight on MSNBC, why you shouldn't be ****ting bricks because it's all fake..."

[Turambar]

of course good politicians are very seldom good people, and definitely arent the people that should be running the government.

[vyper]

It isn't.

CNN's bias is all over the place these days. I miss it when they were predictable.

"And tonight on MSNBC, why you shouldn't be ****ting bricks because it's all fake and why you should be buying Windows Vista..."

Fixor3d.

[Polpolion]

holy **** I'm glad I live in Michigan. No one really cares about us, you see. We're just sorta here on our own. And even if someone somehow has problems with us, there is lots of unemployed people to sign up for a military  .