In their May 10 nationally syndicated column -- titled “Fort Dix Terror Plot will Lift Rudy Giuliani's Approval Rating” -- Dick Morris and Eileen McGann wrote that after U.S. officials arrested six men alleged to have plotted an armed attack on the Fort Dix Army base in New Jersey, “Americans realize the narrow escape they have had and understand the importance of having a proven and tested anti-terror leader, as their candidate in the November, 2008 elections.” Morris and McGann claimed that “after Fort Dix, the momentum is once again going to shift,” because former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) benefits when the public is reminded of “the imminent threat of attack in today's world.” They wrote:

Giuliani's political fortunes will fluctuate in direct relation to American perceptions of the dangers posed by terrorism. When we relax, Rudy will slip. When we are reminded of the reality we face, he will rise. Like Bush in 2004, terrorism is his issue and the greater our sense of threat, the more we will turn to him.

In fact, as Media Matters for America has previously noted, no attack on Fort Dix was alleged to be imminent, and Fort Dix officials have reportedly claimed that the base was not, at any point, in immediate danger.

Additionally, Media Matters has previously documented questions surrounding Giuliani's record on the issues of terrorism and national security.

From Morris and McGann's May 10 column:

The aborted terror plot to kill American soldiers at Fort Dix in New Jersey reminds us all of the imminent threat of attack in today's dangerous world. It will remind Republican primary voters that terrorism, and our response to it, is still the issue of the day.

After the Republican presidential debate, Rudy Giuliani was clearly on the defensive, trying to compensate for his pathetic “that would be OK” answer to questions about the possible overruling of Roe v. Wade. His passivity and seeming acquiescence in either a pro-life or pro-choice outcome appeased none of the partisans on either side of the abortion issue. When he finally settled on a concise and forceful restatement of his basic pro-choice principles, he stood out in stark contrast to the other nine pro-life candidates.

But after Fort Dix, the momentum is once again going to shift. Americans realize the narrow escape they have had and understand the importance of having a proven and tested anti-terror leader, as their candidate in the November, 2008 elections.

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Giuliani's political fortunes will fluctuate in direct relation to American perceptions of the dangers posed by terrorism. When we relax, Rudy will slip. When we are reminded of the reality we face, he will rise. Like Bush in 2004, terrorism is his issue and the greater our sense of threat, the more we will turn to him.