Fear: Thy Name Is McCain

Reuters reported on March 14, 2008 of a curious comment by Senator John McCain:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Friday he fears that al Qaeda or another extremist group might attempt spectacular attacks in Iraq to try to tilt the U.S. election against him.

McCain, at a town hall meeting in this Philadelphia suburb, was asked if he had concerns that anti-American militants in Iraq might ratchet up their activities in Iraq to try to increase casualties in September or October and tip the November election against him.

"Yes, I worry about it," McCain said. "And I know they pay attention because of the intercepts we have of their communications ... The hardest thing in warfare is to counter someone or a group of individuals who are willing to take their own lives in order to take others."

DHinMI on 3/14/08 at dailykos had an interesting take on this:

McCain isn't president, so why would he think the voters would punish him for failing to prevent another Al Qaeda attack on the United States?
Oh, that's right, because McCain is really running to complete George W. Bush's third term as President, and in that moment of candor, he let slip his greatest fear, that the voters will figure out that by embracing George W. Bush, McCain embraces all of Bush's failures.
(And speaking of embracing Bush's failures, McCain today was in Iraq with Dick Cheney- MSL.)
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Yes, I know that Senator McCain is raising the specter of another terrorist attack so as to plant the idea that Al Qaeda is afraid of him. But McCain may be right. We both worry that Al Qaeda will attack the United States shortly before the presidential election, which would likely inure to the benefit of the more hawkish candidate, the war veteran, John McCain. That could be smart strategy on their part; after all, what could be better for recruitment of Islamic terrorists than election of a President willing to keep American- i.e., western- troops on Muslim land for the next 100 years?