US 'may delay vote if attacked'

The Bush administration is reported to be investigating the possibility of postponing the presidential election in the event of a terror attack.
The White House will neither confirm or deny the report, which suggests Congress might be asked to grant the powers to the election commission.

It is not clear where the final decision would be taken in the event of a terror attack.

However, a senior Democrat in Congress has signalled her opposition.

Jane Harman, the senior Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said such a proposal would be "excessive based on what we know".

She also criticised the suggestion last week from Tom Ridge, the Homeland Security Secretary, that al-Qaeda was planning to disrupt the election.

That warning was based on old information, she added.

"If they do this, boy, my God, they're extremely desperate" - Ciro Rodriguez Democrat Congressman

The Democrats' unspoken fear is that the White House will play on the nerves of Americans as the election nears, and hope to gain support from a nation fearful of any change in course.

It is a difficult strategy for the Democrats to counter.

If they appeared complacent and the terrorists did strike, they would be politically destroyed.