It was "lost" in 2001 when Bu$hCo gave OBL a get out of jail free card, funded the Northern Alliance and bombed Afghanistan from 30,000 feet.
(Iraq was "lost" when the US invaded. Bad or fraudulent motives are almost guaranteed to turn out poorly.)
Posted by Marie at July 11, 2007 04:21 PMThis story, along with Chertoff's "gut feeling" tells me they may have found something after the failed London attacks. They can't admit that though, since that might point to the fact that the dilegence of two ambulance drivers in the UK (stressed because we had nothing to do with it) has done more in the fight against 'terra' than the hundreds of billions of dollars, their so-called 'plans' (policing a COUNTRY?), the surge, etc. etc.
Bush doesn't know how to pronounce the word 'consequences' - let alone know the definition.
All they have done is build an extremist's recruitment center and playground (lining their pockets the whole time).
Their REAL mission IS being accomplished...
Posted by dishwashing engineer at July 11, 2007 05:11 PMThe Americans should learn from the British that the best way to fight terrorists is through police action and intelligence, not through the blunt force of the military. All of the money that was foolishly spent on this war/occupation could have been far better spent on health care, schools, hospitals, education, libraries, etc. Support the troops-bring them home safely-now.
Posted by Erroll at July 11, 2007 07:14 PMInteresting that this comes from the same agency that Cheney shoved aside to set up his own intelligence service in order to provide the "correct" information that would justify the invasion of Iraq. And the same agency that saw one of its covert operatives betrayed in order to discredit new findings that contradicted the case for war.
Payback is a bitch. So is blowback.
Posted by Zak44 at July 11, 2007 07:45 PMErrol...
You are correct that police work would have been the smart way of moving forward with the fight against the terrorist...but that is not what Bush and Co wanted. They didnt really bungle the thing...this was a planned military action to advance the cause American foreign policy (with American corporations in tow). Yeah, it was a rather clumsy maneuver, perhaps because the fools in power just didnt have the smarts to control the thing....other administrations would have probably done the same thing albeit smoother.
Steve and all, Where's the story about Lady Bird Johnson? What a great American she was. What a great Texan she was. We need more like her.
Posted by peter at July 11, 2007 08:42 PMI SAID I was planting a tree for her.
As usual you did no research before "posting".
Posted by TIKI AL at July 11, 2007 09:20 PMOh now I get it. That's why Chertoff has this "gut feeling" about another attack. This whole thing would be a joke if it wasn't deadly serious.
Posted by Judith at July 11, 2007 09:59 PMThe Americans should learn from the British that the best way to fight terrorists is through police action and intelligence, not through the blunt force of the military.
Nailed it.
I've been saying this since Early 2002
Posted by Simp at July 11, 2007 11:40 PMThe British missed the Keystone Doctors plot.
It could have been prevented by performing shock and aw shit on Iran.
Posted by TIKI AL at July 12, 2007 04:23 AMEx Senator Santorum on the Hugh Hewitt show July 7,2007:
....between now and November, a lot of things are going to happen, and I believe that by this time next year, the American public’s going to have a very different view of this war, and it will be because, I think, of some unfortunate events, that like we’re seeing unfold in the UK. But I think the American public’s going to have a very different view, and part of it will be the education that these three men will be imparting on the American public during the course of this campaign."
Al Qaeda is actually in a much better position now than 2001 because there is simply no way that any government of Pakistan is going to allow US military action within its borders, nor can we invade and do "regime change" in Pakistan, unlike Afghanistan. Too big, too crazy, too out-of control. So that's that. Heckuva job, Georgie.
Al qaeda attempts to influence national elections and likes militarist conservative Repubs who bellow that what's needed is to "Invade 'em!!" "Nuke 'em!!" i.e. expensive military "solutions" which destroy our world image (and not just among muslims) and bankrupt us.
KKKarl also wouldn't mind a few new al qaeda attacks within Murica, because the right wing noise machine will say it's obviously the fault of weak Dems. So KKKarl and Osama are aligned in their interests. Something is almost certain to come out of that.
Sanity-challenged Santorum is right--we have no idea how bad things are going to be in Nov 08. (what's his wingnut welfare scheme BTW?). Bush has placed us into a terror/counter-reaction loop just like Israel/Palestine is in, and there's no way out of it now. Sorry kids, your world is shit, for good.
Posted by euzoius at July 12, 2007 06:00 AMThis is the government we deserve, y'all. We didn't yell loudly enough.
Posted by Mal Feasance at July 12, 2007 06:29 AMwhy does anyone think Bush wants to Win the war against Al Qaeda? I've not seen any evidence to support that. If anyone has any, I'd like to see it.
Posted by T2 at July 12, 2007 07:27 AMT2, frankly all of the evidence seems to go AGAINST the theory, starting with the simply inexplicable decision not to deploy substantial US combat troops at Tora Bora.
Inexplicable if one WANTED to capture Osmama and decisively crush al qaeda, of course.
Posted by euzoius at July 12, 2007 07:41 AMHow can a gutless wonder have a gut feeling? Is it the same feeling as before Katrina?
These guys played with the color code like Pavlovian lab techs, getting us all to salivate simultaneously with each scary color change.
We'll have another attack allright, before the next election so Dopey and Darth can declare martial law and cancel any further elections. And those of us with big mouths can be carted off to a Halliburton built detention camp for enemy combatants, as loosely defined by Busholini.
Sig heil, y'all.
Will someone in the lame press please ask dopey and Darth why we rejected the peace plan proposed by the newly elected iraqi gov't? It included an agreement from the Sunnis to lay down their arms if we withdrew within two years. What the hell was wrong with that? All they asked for was a date certain for when we would leave and it's the one thing we refuse to give them. What does that say? Why can't we leave iraq by agreement with their new gov't? I don't get it. Is it because our oil law is not yet their oil law? I'll bet.
unfortunately, Euzolus, it started earlier than Bora Bora. August, 2001. That's when Bush decided to ignore pointed warnings about a major Bin Laden Al Qaeda attack on US soil. I just can't help but wonder why he didn't do anything to warn us?
Posted by T2 at July 12, 2007 09:03 AMWhile it is technically correct to say "billions" in the third sentence, the actual price tage is going to be reconned in "trillions" The direct costs are over $500 billion, and a host of ancillary costs have not been factored in.
Tha't a lot to spend to produce a perverse result: that al Qaeda recruitment is far easier than it ever was prior to action in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is almost as if the neocons need an obvious, threatening outside entity. As if destruction of al Qaeda would have served their purposes badly.
Posted by steve at July 12, 2007 10:06 AM