[blackbart.223]

"And if al Qaeda is gone, there's certainly no shortage of other folks out there who wish us ill, and now they've seen that we can be hit, and we can be hurt."

I think you and Tex are being a little too pessimistic here. This isn't the first time we've been hit and hurt. Pearl Harbor comes to mind. People were complacent prior to that attack but eventually The American people rose to the occasion. I believe we will again despite the gloomy picture you both paint.

By the way, Texasforever, your writing skills are quite good.

[general_re]

Yeah, I'm trying not to be too cynical. I don't quite get the feeling that we've lost that edge just yet, but I think it's important to keep sight of what's going on.

[Texasforever]

No I am not really pessimistic. The reaction is fairly predictable. However it does point out how the public’s priorities can change faster than the slow moving government’s attempts to meet the priorities. .