Recently, the US President George W. Bush has been busy making speeches around the country before the election. Wherever he went, he would untiringly enumerate the current government's "glorious achievements" in "anti-terrorism". He tells the audience that America has become "safer" due to anti-terrorism operations. But do the American public really have this sense of "safer"?
There might be the following reasons for Bush to say so: 1. The United States has captured and eliminated some members of Al-Qaeda. 2. It has destroyed the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and the Saddam regime in Iraq. 3. It has impelled the Libyan government to give up the development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Bush's publicity on the "achievements" is, of course, aimed at his run for election. But what is the actual condition? In America, what people feel in their daily activities --either staying at home or going out--is not "safer". Instead, they invariably have many things that they can't set their minds at ease.
Such feeling seems not limited to ordinary people. The "extraordinary" security measures adopted by the US security authority for the president at the top down to common people are very elaborate. When announcing in advance the daily important activities of President Bush, the website of concerned government department invariably gives a clear indication: "Since the country is on the alert, President Bush's schedule will not be published until the last moment before the start of his activities." In fact, the schedule of Bush has never been made public. The previous freedom granted by tourism department to tourists to visit Congress, the White House and the Pentagon had long ago become a thing of the past along with the emergence of the horrible "September 11" incident in 2001. At present, the roads that lead to these places are often heavily guarded. Fascia bearing the words "vehicles make a detour" can be seen everywhere. And travelers have long become inured to the embarrassing situation caused by the security check at the airport where they have to untie their belts, take off their shoes and socks and then lift up their trousers to pass through the security gate.
At present, such nervousness has infiltrated into various US government departments and many important public activities. On July 4, the Independence Day, the police of Washington tightened security guard and exercised special control over some vital communication lines.
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, the Bush administration waged the Iraq war without UN approval and conclusive evidence showing Iraq's possession of WMD and actual link with the Al-Qaeda network. The war has resulted in the deteriorating security situation in Iraq and the dissipation of the American force in combating Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. The Americans' psyche in regard to safety represents, to some extent, a mirror reflecting the results produced by US policy toward Iraq. Even Bush himself acknowledges that America is still a nation in danger, exposed to threat from enemies plotting to create terrible harms and disasters. The nation is still in war, fighting for its own security, freedom and lifestyle. In such a case, can the American people feel safer? | 
