Washington rüstet sich für die Inaugurationsfeier

--- Am 20. Januar 2005 soll Bush als Präsident nach der Wiederwahl neu eingeschworen werden -- traditionell mit einer großen Parade. Das ganze Spektakel würde natürlich potenziell ein stark symobolisch aufgeladenes Anschlagsziel bieten, weshalb Washington, DC, schon jetzt mächtig aufrüstet und die Innenstadt in eine High-Tech-Festung verwandelt werden soll: An unprecedented level of security will frame President Bush's second inauguration, with officials planning to use thousands of police from across the country, new screening technology for inaugural guests and a military contingent that could include a combat brigade of up to 4,000 troops. ... As tens of thousands of people come to Washington to watch the Jan. 20 swearing in, the city will be filled with military personnel, FBI agents in full SWAT outfitting, snipers on rooftops and scores of bomb-detecting dogs. The region's air defenses have been strengthened to prevent intruder aircraft, and sensors will be deployed throughout the area to detect biological, chemical or radiological material. About 2,000 out-of-town officers will help with security and traffic details. Undercover officers will work the crowds, and D.C. police officers will be posted every six to eight feet along the parade route. Plans call for sturdier barriers and more checkpoints and metal detectors along the parade route than in previous years. Officials also are setting up a higher-security ticketing and credentialing system for some events, to prevent people from using counterfeit materials to get into the balls and more restricted areas. Ein wirklich unbeschwertes demokratisches Volksfest dürfte der große Tag aber wohl kaum werden. Ansonsten heute noch in der Post: Ein weiterer Blick auf den "Architekten" des Wahlsiegs Bush, seinen Spindoktor Karl Rove.