Dr. Strangelove was probably the most politically appropriate movie to watch this past weekend, given the mounting nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the increase in violence in Iraq.

However, although this slice of paranoid Americana was a chilling possibility, it simply cannot compare with the cinematically gifted GOP leading up to these midterm elections.

With an advertisement featuring bin Laden's apparent endorsement of the "cut and run" politicians of the Democratic Party, the GOP is making sure you know one thing: your life is in danger. However, we have an opportunity this fall to stop the fear mongering and send a message.

Even if Americans are terrified of everything ranging from Ghostface Killah to the phrase "Los Estados Unidos," it's time to muster up some courage to vote for common sense instead of succumbing to the terror of the GOP.

History appears to be in the making with these midterm elections as many have linked them with the Republican Revolution of 1994, where Democrats lost an astounding number, 54 and eight to be exact, of the seats in the House and Senate respectively.

However, unlike the Democrats of 1994, Republicans in 2006 know they are in trouble, which is why the political advertisements for dead-in-the-water candidates that we've seen thus far are not surprising.

With falling poll numbers, a lack of public confidence in the GOP-lead Congress and general disappointment with the direction of the country, it's back to the greatest hits for the Republicans: terror, security and war.

In the last two elections, the GOP successfully scared the American public into voting for them and, even though it is fairly assessed as audacious, they're trying it again.

The Republican National Committee recently released an advertisement dubbed "The Stakes." The advertisement's sole purpose is to link Democrats with terrorism by rousing fear in all who watch it, even in someone who just witnessed the doomsday scenario of Dr. Strangelove.

The ad dramatically sets quotes from Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri against a black background with the sound of a ticking clock. These quotes highlight phrases like "kill the Americans" and "nothing compared to what you see next." The ad climaxes with a mushroom-esque cloud exploding behind the text.

Sounds pretty terrifying, right? That's probably because it is. Any one of the scenarios the advertisement outlines could easily become reality; something the Republicans know you know.

I know what you're thinking; no surprise as it's coming from the party that equates dissent to terrorism, but this advertisement goes above and beyond the musings of Cheney on opposition to the U.S. PATRIOT Act.

Equating dissent with terrorism isn't even close to equating opposition political parties with actual terrorists. Make no mistake: the GOP's sole goal is to make it appear as if the Democrats are so ineffective, so incompetent, and so misguided that these scenarios will become reality in short order under Democratic leadership.

Call me crazy, but adjectives like ineffective, incompetent and misguided seem better able to describe a certain leader of the free world. However, even if their message appears to betray its premise by claiming Republicans are neither of these things, that logical sticking point is likely to go unnoticed by Americans.

Republicans excel at dualistically painting complicated issues as a matter of pro-life or pro-death, and activist judges or judicial restraint, and almost uniformly the American public seems to buy into it year in and year out.

However, rather than believing that the 2006 election is a matter of life and death, we should be weighing a variety of issues rather than sole issue of terrorism.

Americans could focus on the signs of a faltering economy, or the United States' debacles in a variety of foreign venues.

But, that would require thinking of the American public — something the GOP and their advertisements hope you won't be doing Nov. 7.

Robert Phansalkar ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in languages and cultures of Asia and political science.