FEAR FACTORY: Assassinating Cheney

The Taliban are allegedly taking credit for a botched assassination attempt against US VP Dick Cheney in Afghanistan. It is tragic that 23 people died, and the intended target simply heard "a loud boom".

Was this at least a propaganda victory for the Taliban?

Doubt it. There was very little chance that a suicide bomber would have gotten close enough to the veep to successfully off him. This shows the group's ability to hit US bases, but they have been gaining momentum for months. There is nothing new here.

Was this a propaganda victory for the Fear Factory?

Probably. Rallying cries for revenge will trumpet throughout the right-wing media. The war mongers will use this as an excuse to push for the Bush/Cheney Iraq War escalation plan.

With today's record "selloff" in the stock market, a new panic will emerge and the talking heads will push for American consumers to buy stocks, goods and back the nation's imperialist agenda.

Look for the Fear Factory to go into full effect over the coming weeks...