Assume that, as many have suggested, Osama bin Laden & co. would like nothing better than a U.S. led attack on an Islamic nation (prefereably the insufficiently theocratic Iraq), believing that this would spark a Sam-Huntington-style “clash of civilizations.” Some have also speculated that Democrats will be less enthusiastic in their support of Bush’s WoT after the midterm elections have passed. If that’s the case, then presumably the bin Ladenites perceive a Republican controlled House and Senate as being in their best interests. (Whether that perception is correct or not makes little difference.) They also surely noticed that support for the President jumped rather dramatically after 9/11, and that the GOP is perceived by the public as better able to deal with terrorism.

So: you’re in charge of strategy for al-Qaeda. When do you attack?

Eight days and counting…