Chertoff's "Gut Feeling"

A few days ago, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, stated he has a "gut feeling" that the U.S. "faces a higher risk of a terrorist attack this summer."

This administration is obsessed with scare tactics. The tough talk of Bush, Cheney, and company hasn't worked with the public for years now. The color-coded terror alert system worked at first, but the efficiency has faded. The al-Qaeda videos worked for an even longer period of time (2004 (s)election, anybody), but even the effectiveness of those have worn off some. So, now what? The Secretary of Homeland Security has a "gut feeling?" A hunch? Baseball managers get paid to play off such gut feelings, but not the Secretary of Homeland Security. It's one thing to have a hunch that the opposing team will hit and run, so a manager decides to utilize the pitch-out. It's another thing to attempt to scare the nation by saying, "You know, I don't know what it is, but I have a hunch we're going to be the victims of a terrorist act this summer." Why even make that hunch be known to the public? There's nothing concrete behind it. It's just a gut feeling. I'd think by now that the administration would allude to a different strategy other than scare tactics to boost their approval rating. But, obviously, I would be mistaken in thinking that.