Shays Warns Terror Threats Will Be Real
By Paul Ziobro
WASHINGTON – Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4, said Wednesday that despite the recent absence of terrorist activities, his constituents should heed warnings of potential terrorist attacks as America begins its war with Iraq.
“(People) need to recognize that the terrorists have suspended their activity in anticipation that there would be a conflict, and the public should know that the warnings about potential terrorist attacks are very real,” Shays said after a meeting here with visiting members of the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut.
Referring to U.S. intelligence information, Shays said, “Our information was that they (terrorists) would be told to suspend activity until the war begins.”
Shays said President Bush’s address on Monday night was a clear, non-aggressive statement outlining why the U.S. needs to take action. He added that the president put careful thought into his decision and will make sure to minimize American casualties.
“I never want to send our troops into battle without our having the advantage,” Shays said.
Public comments approving Shays’ support of military action in Iraq have come in quietly to his offices over the past two days while the volume of opposition has diminished, Chief of Staff Betsy Hawkings said. About 40 people called in against the war and 10 in favor since Bush issued his ultimatum to on Monday night, a change in the “hundreds” of opposition phone calls in the past couple of months.
“Our phones were very quiet,” Hawkings said Wednesday.
She said a Feb. 23 issue forum Shays held in Westport was an attempt to clarify for constituents why he approved a tough approach to removing Saddam Hussein from power.
“The tenor of the mail changed from ‘please don’t support the use of force’ to ‘please change your position’ because people were made more aware of what Chris’ position was,” Hawkings said.
Sentiment nationwide saw President Bush’s approval ratings jump 5 points to 64 percent following the speech, according to a CBS News poll. Of those surveyed, 77 percent generally agreed with what he said, with 72 percent supporting his 48-hour ultimatum for Hussein to leave Iraq or face war.
Hawkings said that although support in Connecticut’s Fourth District for Bush’s position typically falls below the national level, the number of negative comments that Shays’ offices have received is waning. One e-mail Tuesday simply asked Shays, “What’s taking so long?” referring to the delay of military action in Iraq.
A spike in approval for the president and his actions is typical as the country moves closer to war, said Chris Barnes, associate director of the University of Connecticut’s Center for Survey Research and Analysis.
The “rally-around-the-flag effect” increases patriotic sentiment as military action draws near, Barnes said. “Essentially, they are rallying around the President, in particular, because there is usually a specific threat to the United States or the case has been made as to why specific action is necessary,” Barnes said.
Presidential approval ratings tend to remain high as long as success abounds on the battlefields, but can turn south if the country is bogged down in a lengthy war, Barnes said. Because the country is divided over taking military action in Iraq, the public would have less tolerance for a drawn out war, Barnes said.
Published in The Hour, in Connecticut.
