In coming to terms with that part of the conservative mindset that switched overnight from being skeptical of government power to wishing to grant it dictatorial authority to suspend core constitutional guarantees, Roger Ailes might be an interesting case. If you think Dick Cheney is terrified of al Qaeda - and I mean scared out of his wits by these medieval loons - then you need to meet the padded bunker of the man who unleashed Hannity and Beck:
On the day of the attacks, Mr. Ailes asked his chief engineer the minimum number of workers needed to keep the channel on the air. The answer: 42. “I am one of them,” he said. “I’ve got a bad leg, I’m a little overweight, so I can’t run fast, but I will fight. We had 3,000 dead people a couple miles from here. I knew that any communications company could be a target.”
His movements now are shadowed by a phalanx of corporate-provided security.
He travels to and from work in a miniature convoy of two sport utility vehicles. A camera on his desk displays the comings and goings outside his office, where he usually keeps the blinds drawn.
Mr. Ailes said he received frequent threats over the years, but his concerns for the safety of his family were heightened by an incident at his New Jersey home after the 9/11 attacks. There was an intruder on his property, but no arrest was made. In Putnam County, he has bought several properties surrounding his home. A sign outside his house shows an illustration of a gun and advises visitors that it is under video surveillance.
This is the Cheney mindset too: paralyzed by fear. If al Qaeda wants to know who it really succeeded with these last few years, nervous nellies Ailes and Cheney are heard to beat.