>>"A politician's worst nightmare is to be the one who was overseeing during an instance in which security disastrously failed (e.g. a terrorist attack)." And

>>"A politician's worst nightmare is to be the one who was overseeing during an instance in which security disastrously failed (e.g. a terrorist attack)." And this is the weak link. Also, it is not necessarily the case. As we all know, everything from heart disease to auto wrecks are exponentially (almost infinitely) more likely than terrorism, and just as deadly. Nevertheless, we've accepted these possibilities as unavoidable aspects of existence, and ones we can manage without entering a state of hysterical, paralyzing fear combined with the surrender of all authority to concentrated, unassailable powers. The thing that can break this loop is a cultural response that turns the person running on a "moar security" platform into an object of mockery. This is the flip side of the herd instinct: few people who want power can stand being laughed at.