Can Australians sleep more easily in their beds in the wake of yesterday's anti-terrorism raids?
Certainly, the government will see the arrests as vindicating their decision to rush tough, new security laws through parliament last week. And police and security services have already trumpeted the success of their role in dealing a significant blow to a terrorist cell whose plans could have had catastrophic consequences.
But it is up to the courts to decide the guilt or innocence of those held during yesterday's dramatic night-time raids and the level of danger the suspects posed.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister John Howard has won a stunning public-relations victory for his controversial anti-terrorism legislation, conveniently on the day opinion polls put his personal standing at its lowest level in four years.
As well as criticism of his anti-terror laws, Mr Howard has also been under pressure over his proposed industrial-relations legislation in recent weeks, leading some more cynical observers to wonder about the timing of the raids.
That said, even a prime minister would have difficulty engineering the twin dramas on the streets of Sydney and Melbourne.
