Comments on: Bin Laden Determined To Strike In U.S. Part 2

Bin Laden Determined To Strike In U.S. Part 2

homunculus — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:45:43 -0800

"The United States Lacks a Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas" (PDF). A recent GAO report claims that the Bush administration has failed to prevent Al Qaeda's reemergence in Pakistan, and that we're basically right back where we started in 2001.

By: ornate insect

ornate insect — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:47:06 -0800

which is good news for those determined neocons in the think-tank complex who want to sustain the "global war on terror" indefinitely.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:53:56 -0800

Four more years! Four more years!

By: eriko

eriko — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:59:44 -0800

We're not right back where we were in 2001. We're several trillion poorer.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:05:15 -0800

"claims"?

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:10:44 -0800

This all begs the question that there was some intent other than never-ending conflict requiring a huge standing army.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:10:59 -0800

Hah, I'd love to hear what people would suggest as a "Comprehensive Plan" to deal with the Northwest Frontier Provence and Al Qaeda. Seems like a pretty much intractable problem -- Unless the Pakistani people decide they want to basically slice off part of their country and let us turn it in to Afghanistan 2.0. Which I seriously doubt.

By: [expletive deleted]

[expletive deleted] — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:14:39 -0800

This may be a bit of a non-sequitur, but if things are bad now, they are going to get a lot worse when Iraq's 5 million war orphans come of age. This past December, the Iraqi government revealed that, by it's own reckoning, 35% of the country's children are orphans. This is blowback in the making, and I suspect the consequences of this murderous war will make 9/11 seem tame by comparison.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:26:05 -0800

We're not right back where we were in 2001. We're several trillion poorer. Not all of us. Cheney and his backroom friends in the energy, security and military sector are doing just fine.

By: P.o.B.

P.o.B. — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:29:53 -0800

Huh, whoda thought?

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:43:41 -0800

One Day After Bush Says We're 'Winning' In Afghanistan, State Dept. Says al Qaeda Is 'Stronger'

By: [expletive deleted]

[expletive deleted] — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:58:23 -0800

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I suspect the consequences for America of this murderous war will make 9/11 seem tame by comparison. For Iraq, the consequences of the war already make 9/11 look like a papercut. The greatest act of state terrorism is the prosecution of an aggressive war. Any comprehensive global anti-terrorism strategy would be incomplete if it doesn't include bringing the Bush Administration, and those who aided it, to justice. That there is little to no chance that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Perle, Feith, Wolfowitz et. al. will spend the rest of their days under supervised retirement in The Hague is the greatest failure of criminal justice in our time.

By: gen

gen — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:13:47 -0800

We're several trillion poorer. And many, many lives have been lost.

By: ericb

ericb — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:37:33 -0800

Lest we forget -- "Exactly five years ago tomorrow, President Bush landed aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, stood under a banner proclaiming 'Mission Accomplished,' and declared, 'major combat operations in Iraq have ended.' Since that day, more than 3,900 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq, representing more than 97 percent of total troop deaths there. Today, reporter Helen Thomas asked White House Press Secretary Dana Perino how the president would 'commemorate' the date tomorrow. Perino said the White House had 'certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner':

PERINO: President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific, and said, Mission Accomplished For These Sailors Who Are On This Ship On Their Mission. And we have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner. And I recognize that the media is going to play this up again tomorrow, as they do every single year."

Watch it.

By: photoslob

photoslob — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:44:54 -0800

I wonder if Perino is dead inside. I mean, if she had a soul, it couldn't possibly survive the job of peddling this administrations shit day-in and day-out. I almost feel sorry for her. Almost.

By: ornate insect

ornate insect — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:45:28 -0800

more than 3,900 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq We're above the 4,000 mark now. And the estimates for Iraqi deaths are in the hundreds of thousands.

By: ericb

ericb — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:53:42 -0800

We're above the 4,000 mark now. Exactly. Since "Mission Accomplished" Day [May 1, 2003] , more than 3,900 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq... Operation Iraqi Freedom began on March 20, 2003 with over 100 deaths. Add these to the U.S. death rate that has been accounted for two months later and week peak the 4,000 mark.

By: ericb

ericb — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:54:28 -0800

*and we peak the 4,000 mark.*

By: JJ86

JJ86 — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:56:06 -0800

We are also in a worse position at home where we have a huge, brand-new, and expensive infrastructure which gives us the illusion of protection. Abroad, the forces of evil have not been held back so much as they have been allowed to fester in a beneficial environment in which they can only grow. Sometimes the best way to kill the monster is not through brute force.

By: Avenger

Avenger — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:57:47 -0800

This past December, the Iraqi government revealed that, by it's own reckoning, 35% of the country's children are orphans. This is blowback in the making, and I suspect the consequences of this murderous war will make 9/11 seem tame by comparison. BRANG IT ON!!!!!!!!11111

By: ericb

ericb — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:58:56 -0800

I wonder if Perino is dead inside. I mean, if she had a soul, it couldn't possibly survive the job of peddling this administrations shit day-in and day-out. I almost feel sorry for her. Almost. Other 'walking dead' who came before her -- Ari Fleischer, Scott McClellan and Tony Snow. None of whom I feel sorry for.

By: jlowen

jlowen — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:59:11 -0800

Heckuva job Bushie.

By: ornate insect

ornate insect — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:00:29 -0800

the forces of evil Are you referring to the neocons or to al Qaeda?

By: TheOnlyCoolTim

TheOnlyCoolTim — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:05:05 -0800

Protip: The political powers in this country have very little personal incentive to prevent terrorist attacks other than those that directly threaten them. Nothing bad happens to them or the power structure if there's the odd terrorist attack. September 11, 2001 was probably the best thing to happen for Bush's presidential term. So it probably shouldn't be all that surprising that at the high strategy level the anti-terrorism isn't so hot.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:42:13 -0800

Dec. 7, 1941: U.S. attacked by Japan. 2,000+ killed. Sept. 11, 2001: U.S. attacked by terrorists. 3,000+ killed. Dec. 7, 1948: Germany, Japan and Italy totally, utterly defeated three years earlier. U.S. economy robust enough to foster never-before-seen worldwide growth, especially in areas affected most by war (within a generation, newly democratic Axis countries will be major worldwide economic powers). U.S. military sufficient to stem advances from new major threat in Soviet Union. Dec. 7, 2008: U.S. likely still involved in seemingly intractable military and political engagement with groups within a country that had nothing to do with terrorist attack. Likely little will have changed within nation that did harbor terrorists involved with attack. Trillions of dollars will have been spent. U.S. economy might still be in downturn. Army certainly stretched to breaking point. Wow. I mean, wow.

By: wrapper

wrapper — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:02:21 -0800

I grow weary.

By: sien

sien — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:58:43 -0800

Yes. But Reverend Wright people! He said something. It was like he alleged that the United States was not perfect. And it is alleged that Osama Barack doesn't like doughnuts! Clearly John 'War Hero' McCain must be president.

By: gsb

gsb — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:59:09 -0800

eriko: "We're not right back where we were in 2001. We're several trillion poorer." Well technically a lot of that State credit is in the hands of private individuals, many of whom are American citizens re-injecting that cash back into your economy. An enterprising neo-con would call that trickle-down economics in action.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Thu, 01 May 2008 05:33:51 -0800

Nothing bad happens to them or the power structure if there's the odd terrorist attack. Like, for example, the 2001 anthrax attacks, which President Bush described as "a second wave of terrorist attacks upon our country."

Four Americans have died as a result of these acts of terrorism...The Postal Service and the FBI have offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest and the conviction of the anthrax terrorists...We do not yet know who sent the anthrax — whether it was the same terrorists who committed the attacks on September the 11th, or whether it was the — other international or domestic terrorists. We do know that anyone who would try to infect other people with anthrax is guilty of an act of terror...I'm proud of our citizens' calm and reasoned response to this ongoing terrorist attack.

Even though President Bush himself called the anthrax attacks a terrorist attack--by Weapons of Mass Destruction, no less (anthrax was what represented by the vial that Colin Powell shook at the UN)--he and his supporters claim we haven't been attacked since the September 11 attacks, and Senator McCain will no doubt claim the same.

By: saulgoodman

saulgoodman — Thu, 01 May 2008 06:29:53 -0800

"a second wave of terrorist attacks upon our country." Yeah. A second wave of terrorist attacks upon our country that for some reason almost exclusively targeted Democratic legislators and the press. Weird, that.

By: quin

quin — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:01:48 -0800

they are going to get a lot worse when Iraq's 5 million war orphans come of age. Between that, the solidifying of Al Qaeda's position in Pakistan, and the drumbeat to push us into Iran, I think it's safe to say that the actions of the United States these last few years have ensured that we will not have any kind of peace or safety in the foreseeable future. We've allowed it to go very wrong, and we are going to be paying for it for a long time to come.

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:36:03 -0800

I think this is typified by the following humorous interaction: Me: I think the problem with the United States foreign policy is that we don't send the message that we care about what other nations think about our behavior. Other guy: Why should we care about what other nations think?

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:08:04 -0800

PERINO: President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific, and said, Mission Accomplished For These Sailors Who Are On This Ship On Their Mission. John McCain's speech which he delivered in 2003 on the Senate floor on the occasion of "Mission Accomplished":

"Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom demonstrated to the world what we saw just 12 years ago. We went to war as the most combat-ready force in the world. The value of that readiness is clear. We won a massive victory in a few weeks, and we did so with very limited loss of American and allied lives. We were able to end aggression with minimum overall loss of life, and we were even able to greatly reduce the civilian casualties of Afghani and Iraqi citizens."

By: cashman

cashman — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:38:54 -0800

http://www.marriedtothesea.com/042208/oops-thats-not-funny.gif "2021: A small group of rogue Americans hijack an airplane and fly it into the Burj Al-Arab, in Dubai. The United Arab Emirates spend the next five years invading Canada and torturing its citizens, eventually leaving over 80,000 dead. Oops, that's not funny."

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:06:28 -0800

ericb writes "PERINO: President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific, and said, Mission Accomplished For These Sailors Who Are On This Ship On Their Mission." Also, Mission Accomplished for Bin Laden, because the US was pulling all troops out of the Magic Kingdom on the same day as this ~~circle jerk~~ press event. Take that, terror! When you mess with the bull, you get ~~the horns~~ whatever you want.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Sun, 04 May 2008 09:21:58 -0800

Pentagon Considers Adding Forces in Afghanistan

By: homunculus

homunculus — Sun, 18 May 2008 09:47:09 -0800

Pakistan Defies U.S. on Halting Afghanistan Raids

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:30:18 -0800

Like, for example, the 2001 anthrax attacks, which President Bush described as "a second wave of terrorist attacks upon our country." Speaking of which, this is interesting: Anthrax Vaccine Loses to Lobbying: Politically Connected Firm Knocked Out Bay Area Start Up for Choice Contracts

By: homunculus

homunculus — Fri, 23 May 2008 23:07:44 -0800

Why Pakistan is Qaeda's Best Base