George W. Bush, August 2

The official American political season has opened in a war frenzy.

First, the Democrat's team "reported for duty" in Boston--wrapped in flags, surrounded by vets and generals--and promising to build up more military strength and launch aggressive new actions.

Then, the Republican government roared back with their own bid to orchestrate fear and war fever: Quickly after the Democratic convention closed, on August 1, the current administration announced a major terror alert--complete with claims of immediate threat, new "intelligence streams," capture of key plotters, supposed targeting of the New York Stock Exchange and the Citicorp Center in Manhattan, the Prudential Financial building in Newark, and the World Bank and International Monetary Fund buildings in Washington, DC.