Don't even think about it

San Francisco Chronicle - Editorial - July 13, 2004

OFFICIALS OF the Bush administration are said to be pondering what power they have -- or should seek -- to postpone national elections in November in the event of terrorist strikes aimed at disrupting the democratic process.

The Bush people should drop the idea, lest the hint that terrorism could curb the rights of Americans be an added incentive to our enemies.

The suggestion that acts of terrorism might delay the election, in which President Bush seeks a second term, apparently originates with an appointee of the president, DeForest Soaries Jr. He heads the Election Assistance Commission created to help states replace punch-card ballots and head off other problems that marred the 2000 presidential contest.

Soaries urged Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to acquire power from Congress to put off the election if terrorism justifies this course. Ridge's department is consulting with the Justice Department on the legal aspects.

The administration should heed the words of two Democratic members of the congressional intelligence committees, both from California. Rep. Jane Harman said talk of postponing the election is "excessive, based on what we know," and she described Ridge's latest cries of alarm as "more chatter about old threats."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein noted, "We hold elections in the middle of war, in the middle of earthquakes, in the middle of whatever it takes. The election is a statutory election. It should go ahead, on schedule ... "

This nation, which already ceded far too many liberties in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, needs to demonstrate its resolve and fearlessness. America's message to the world should be: We're prepared to vote on Nov. 2, no matter what.

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