Did Abu Ghraib Re-elect Bush?

One of the most promising Democratic hopes was that an apparently-harmless protestor at the Republican National Convention would get beaten up by a cop. After the Abu Ghraib fiasco every cop will remember that the cameras are running. Voters might even blame Democrats for wimpy behavior by cops.

There's also the possibility that a protestor might get beaten up (or worse) by a delegate. According to New York Magazine:

So the show will go on, but to what end? All the protesters have different answers. Dobbs hopes the protests at the RNC will be viewed as a referendum on the Bush presidency and the Iraq war. Cagan believes that successful demonstrations—peaceful and massive—will bring in new activists to “help build a broader global-peace and social-justice movement.” The Reverend Billy romantically dreams that his Ninth Symphony will, in some miraculous fashion, reveal to “all consumers how 9/11 has been used to sell the war.” Sellers hopes that “disciplined, well-organized protests” will improve the public image of progressive movements, while other direct-action advocates like Jamie Moran merely aim to “annoy the living crap out of delegates,” with little regard for what happens next.

I don't know how that will play in swing states.

On the other hand, The Enemy is afraid of live cameras, so maybe I'm making too much of this.