Andrew Cuomo Looks To Be The New George Bush

Ever since that trip to Israel over the summer, Cuomo's been burnishing his "national security" credentials.

Here's another example:

Although saying there is "no specific threat" of a terror attack, Gov. Cuomo announced on Friday that he is calling up hundreds of National Guard troops and other personnel to beef up security in New York.

Summoning reporters and legislative leaders to his midtown office, Cuomo said a comprehensive new security plan will be implemented to cover airports, transit hubs and large gathering points across the region.

He declined to give specifics of the plan until he formally unveils it with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie next week.

Cuomo, who is running for re-election, said "it is undeniable that New York is a possible target of terrorist activity," either "in retaliation... or as an offensive gesture."

However, he acknowledged that, "We have no specific threat" of terrorists plotting an attack.   

“This is just a general precaution given the obvious situation and obvious facts,” Cuomo told reporters, after discussing the situation with legislative leaders.

It was Cuomo's second media briefing on security issues in five days, activity that comes as he is ramping up his general election campaign against Republican Rob Astorino. The ability to command media attention through official duties is an advantage that incumbents almost always have over challengers. 

Cuomo, Christie and Mayor de Blasio met earlier this week with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. The group pledged to step up preparedness and security amid fears that ISIS and other extremist groups would launch terror attacks in the area in response to President Obama authorizing a military campaign against the group.

“There will be hundreds of people, additional people, deployed across the system,” Cuomo said Friday. “There will be National Guard who will be called up.”

Cuomo said the short-term costs of the plan will be in the “tens of millions of dollars” and will be paid for in next year’s budget.

“This state and this metropolitan area will never have been as well protected as it will be when this plan is in operation,” Cuomo said.

No specific threat, just "a general precaution given the obvious situation and obvious facts” says the governor running for re-election as he calls a special presser to announce his security plan that he's doing jointly with pal Christie, who's running for president and also looking to burnish his national security credentials.

I guess I'm just getting cynical in my old age, but I remember back in 2004 when the Bushies raised the terror alert every other month while Bush was running his re-election campaign based on national security and keeping the country safe from terrorism (never mind that Bush was president for 9/11 and completely ignored the warning signs beforehand about it.)

This Cuomo/Christie anti-terrorism campaign has the same political feel that the 2003-2004 terror alert manipulations had.

That doesn't mean the NYC area isn't a terrorism target and the politicians in charge aren't right to try and protect people and proparty as best they can.

Just that the rhetoric and press statements around this anti-terror campaign have the feel of a political campaign too.

As I noted when Cuomo admonished his Democratic opponent, Zephyr Teachout, over her staying out of the Mideast conflict, more and more it seems Andrew Cuomo has decided to wrap himself in the veneer of George W. Bush.