Well, that didn't take long.

How breathtakingly coincidental. One day after Lamont wins the Connecticut Democratic primary, the Prince of Darkness, VP Cheney, heads out to warn Americans that the election of Ned Lamont will prove to "Al Qaeda types" that we don't have the stomach to fight the war on terror, and Tony Snow warns Americans that electing people like Ned Lamont leads to events like 9/11. Then today, a foiled plot is announced (the White House has known about it for several days), the US moves the color-coded terror threat level to "red" for the first time ever, the RNC is all ready with a new "war on terror" fundraiser plea (via Americablog) and "anonymous" administration officials celebrate an opportunity to make political hay:

But Bush's Republicans hoped the raid would yield political gains.

"I'd rather be talking about this than all of the other things that Congress hasn't done well," one Republican congressional aide told AFP on condition of anonymity because of possible reprisals.

"Weeks before September 11th, this is going to play big," said another White House official, who also spoke on condition of not being named, adding that some Democratic candidates won't "look as appealing" under the circumstances.

(Also via Americablog.) Of course, we knew this was coming. The next three months will be one long scarefest as the Rovians try to win back their apostates.

I finally got to listen to a podcast I've been carrying around for months - Martin Doblmeier talking about the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Krista Tippett's "Speaking of Faith." Download and listen to the program if you can, or read the transcript and look at the photos on the SOF site. (And rent Doblmeier's documentary on Bonhoeffer.) But I was particularly struck - and even more so today - by something Bonhoeffer said at a conference in August 1934:

There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared, it is itself the great venture, and can never be safe. Peace is the opposite of security.