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Since Friday鈥檚 terrorist attacks in Paris, Republicans and Democrats have shown that they can at least mourn together. Beyond that, deep partisanship has quickly set in, particularly on US plans to accept 10,000 refugees from Syria.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan called for a 鈥減ause鈥� in Syrian refugees coming to the United States. Some Republicans are threatening a budget showdown over the issue. Administration officials will motor to the Hill this week for hearings.

Since Sunday, more than half of state governors 鈥� mostly GOP, and one Democrat 鈥� have rushed to announce that their states would be closed to any Syrian refugees. Republican presidential candidates lost no time in quickly denouncing the program.

鈥淭his is not about politics. This is about national security,鈥� Speaker Ryan (R) of Wisconsin told reporters Tuesday.

But there is no question that 鈥� given the nearly clean divide between the parties on this subject 鈥� election-year politics are coming into play. As are two other factors that often surface when it comes to terrorism: fear and confusion.

鈥淣ational security issues generally favor Republicans,鈥� says Matt Mackowiak, a GOP consultant in Texas. 鈥淚 also think a broad majority of Americans disapprove of the president鈥檚 handling of national security. So this is very safe ground for them.鈥�

That鈥檚 borne out in a detailed from last year that shows Republicans are considerably more concerned about terrorism than Democrats and much more negative about the president鈥檚 handling of terrorism.

鈥淭he real question is, when will Democrats start crumbling?鈥� Mr. Mackowiak asks. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in [the election] cycle now. You鈥檙e going to have some Democrats in the Senate and House who are in competitive races looking to break with the president.鈥�

There are signs that may be happening. On Tuesday, Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York suggested that a 鈥減ause鈥� on refugees may be in order, but he is reserving judgment until all senators are briefed by the administration on Wednesday.

His Democratic colleague, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, urges a "go slow" approach to refugees, saying the vetting process is 鈥渁ll important.鈥澛�

Still, she told reporters Monday, the US is taking a limited number of refugees 鈥� not 800,000 as Germany has promised. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to be part of a 鈥榥o refugees鈥� movement,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a country of refugees.鈥�

So far, Democrats seem to be mostly sticking with President Obama. On Monday, he said that blocking Muslim Syrian refugees from entering the US, as GOP presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas proposes, is 鈥渘ot American. It鈥檚 not who we are. We don鈥檛 have religious tests to our compassion.鈥�

At the beginning of September, the world was deeply moved by a photograph of a migrant toddler washed ashore in Turkey, a policeman carrying his lifeless body after his boat sank. Shortly afterward, Mr. Obama announced that the US would accept 10,000 more Syrian refugees starting in October.

The Paris terrorist attacks, in which one of the attackers might have entered France with a Syrian passport, has triggered a sharp change in America鈥檚 political mood.

鈥淚t's embarrassing when a left-wing socialist French President shows strength and determination to eradicate animals who are slaughtering innocent civilians while our President lectures us on the moral necessity to open our borders to tens of thousands of un-vetted people from the Middle East,鈥� GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said in a statement Monday.

Actually, refugees are vetted, says Theresa Brown, director of immigration policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center. She鈥檚 concerned that the situation in Europe 鈥� where migrants are surging into countries unscreened 鈥� is being confused with the US refugee resettlement process.

That begins with vetting by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 鈥� including interviews and the collection of biographic and biometric information. The UN then recommends screened refugees to the US, which begins its own screening process overseas that includes interviews and checking against key databases. It takes 18 to 24 months.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a completely different鈥� situation from the one in Europe, says Ms. Brown. 鈥淧eople are losing sight of that.鈥�

Mackowiak agrees that there鈥檚 鈥減robably a little bit of confusion.鈥� He adds that governors鈥� refusal to take in Syrian refugees indicates 鈥渢here鈥檚 a lot of fear out there among people.鈥�

That fear has actually been reinforced by some officials in the administration.

At a House Judiciary Committee hearing last month, for instance, FBI Director James Comey admitted that, despite a large pool of data, a past program for vetting Iraqi refugees inadvertently allowed some refugees 鈥渙f serious concern鈥� into the US, including two that were charged when their fingerprints were found on explosive devices from Iraq.

The vetting program has since been improved, but US intelligence officials have less data available for cross-referencing in Syria, Mr. Comey said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 sit here and offer anybody an absolute assurance that there鈥檚 no risk associated with this,鈥� he said of the vetting process for refugees from Syria.

The administration on Tuesday defended its Syria vetting process as "intensive" and "enhanced."

When asked why refugees have become such a partisan issue, Sen. Mark Kirk (R) of Illinois says simply, 鈥淲e should listen to the director of the FBI.鈥�

The senator points to Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia as a Democrat who has joined him and other Republicans in a letter to the president demanding that no refugee related to the Syria crisis be admitted unless there is 鈥�100 percent鈥� assurance that they are not connected to the Islamic State terrorist organization.

Since the 9/11 attacks, about 784,000 refugees have been admitted to the US, according to the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. Of that entire group, three refugees have been arrested聽on terrorism charges, the institute鈥檚 Kathleen Newland told Monitor reporter Henry Gass.

鈥淢ight there be a problem in vetting some one person? Sure,鈥� says Sen. Tim Kaine (D) of Virginia. 鈥淪o then is the answer we鈥檙e not going to take any Syrians at all?鈥�

Administration officials may have been candid about some vetting challenges, he says, but there are certainly a plentiful number of Syrians who don鈥檛 present such a challenge who could be helped and brought to the US. 鈥淭his is the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.鈥�