An image from a video released by al Qaeda showing Osama bin Laden this week, his first public showing in three years. Photo by Agence France Presse/Getty Images
by Mark Silva
President Bush, planning a national address to the American public next week -- following a progress report from his commanders in Iraq to Congress -- insists that the fight in Iraq today is central to fighting the terrorism that the United States confronted on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Next week, after consulting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my national security team, ,members of Congress from both parties, and Iraqi leaders, I will speak directly to the nation about the recommendations General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker have presented to me,'' Bush said in his weekly radio address today. "I will discuss the changes our strategy has brought to Iraq. I will lay out a vision for future involvement in Iraq -- one that I believe the American people and their elected leaders of both parties can support."
The notion of pleasing leaders of both parties hints at the eventual drawdown of troops which Bush spoke of during his surprise stop in the western Anbar province of Iraq this week.
"Together we have driven al Qaeda out of strongholds in Anbar,'' Bush said today. "The people of Anbar have seen that standing up to the terrorists and extremists leads to a better life.''
Yet Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) complains that Bush has taken his eye off the target in the war on terrorism. If the surge of U.S. forces in Iraq was intended to give Iraqis some "breathing room'' for political reconciliation, he argues, all the war in Iraq has given Osama bin Laden is breathing room to regroup and reenergize al Qaeda.
"Just days after September 11th, President Bush said of bin Laden: “There’s an old poster out West, as I recall, that said, ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive.’” Reid said in the Democratic Party's response to the president's radio address today. "He went on to say: 'One thing for certain is we’re going to get him running and keep him running and bring him to justice.'
"Now six years have passed, and bin Laden has not been killed,'' Reid said. "To the contrary, our intelligence indicates he has used this time to rebuild his terrorist organization. President Bush’s failed policies have been bin Laden’s best recruiting tool. It is bin Laden who has used the breathing room created by the war in Iraq to regroup, re-tool, and recruit.
"So, Mr. President,'' the Senate leader said, "on this sixth anniversary of 9/11, we ask you to honor the lives we lost on that tragic day by keeping your promise to bring bin Laden to justice and destroy his terror network once and for all.''
This is the text of the president's weekly radio address:
"Good morning. Earlier this week, I traveled to Iraq’s Anbar Province to visit our troops and see with my own eyes the remarkable changes they are making possible. If you want to see some photos from this trip, go to whitehouse.gov where you can view a slideshow of my visit.
"Success in Anbar is critical to the democratic future of Iraq and to the war on terror. This largely Sunni province covers nearly a third of Iraq. It stretches from the outskirts of Baghdad to Iraq’s borders with Jordan, and Syria, and Saudi Arabia. And until recently, Anbar was al Qaeda’s chief base of operations in Iraq.
"Last year at this time, Anbar was all over the news. Newspapers at the time cited a leaked intelligence report that was pessimistic about our prospects there. One columnist summed it up this way: “The war is over in Anbar province, and the United States lost.” But local citizens soon saw what life under al Qaeda meant for them. The terrorists brutalized the people of Anbar and killed those who opposed their dark ideology. So the tribal sheiks of Anbar came together to fight al Qaeda. They asked for support from the Coalition and the Iraqi government, and we responded.
"Together we have driven al Qaeda out of strongholds in Anbar. The level of violence is down. Local governments are meeting again. Young Sunnis are joining the police and army. And normal life is returning. The people of Anbar have seen that standing up to the terrorists and extremists leads to a better life. And Anbar has shown that improving security is the first step toward achieving economic progress and political reconciliation.
"On my visit, I met with tribal sheiks who have fought with us against al Qaeda -- and who are now building a better future for their people and for all Iraqis. One Sunni sheik told me: “We have suffered a great deal from terrorism. We strongly support the democracy you have called for. The previous regime [of Saddam Hussein] should not be characterized as a Sunni regime -- it was a regime against the Sunnis, Shia, and the Kurds.”
"I also met with national leaders from Iraq’s government: President Talabani and Prime Minister Maliki, Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, Vice President Abd al-Mahdi, Vice President Hashimi, and President Barzani of the Kurdish region. These men come from different religious and ethnic backgrounds. But they all understand the importance of succeeding in Anbar. And so they’re reaching out to help, with positive steps such as sharing oil revenues with provincial leaders. I thanked the representatives of Iraq’s government for their efforts to support the bottom-up progress in Anbar. And I told them that the American people expect them to meet their commitments and pass the legislation they’ve agreed on.
"While in Iraq, I also received a good briefing from General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. They gave me an update on our military, and political, and economic efforts to support our Iraqi partners. They told me about the progress they’re seeing across Iraq and their ideas for the way forward. In the next few days, they will come to Washington to give Congress their assessment of conditions on the ground. I urge the Members of Congress to listen to these two well-respected professionals -- before jumping to any conclusions.
"Most importantly, during my visit, I met with our troops serving in Anbar. Every day, these fine men and women show courage under incredibly difficult circumstances. The work they’re doing on the sands of Anbar is making us safer in the streets of America. Because of their bravery and sacrifice, our troops in Iraq are denying al Qaeda safe havens from which to plot and plan and carry out attacks against Americans both here and abroad. I know how hard it is for our men and women in uniform to be away from their families. I told them our Nation appreciates their willingness to serve and that the American people stand with them.
"Next week, after consulting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my national security team, ,members of Congress from both parties, and Iraqi leaders, I will speak directly to the nation about the recommendations General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker have presented to me. I will discuss the changes our strategy has brought to Iraq. I will lay out a vision for future involvement in Iraq -- one that I believe the American people and their elected leaders of both parties can support. By coming together on the way forward, we will strengthen Iraq’s democracy, deal a blow to our enemies, secure interests in the Middle East, and make our Nation safer.
"Thank you for listening.''
This is the Democratic Party's response to the president's radio address:
"“Good morning. This is Sen. Harry Reid of Searchlight, Nevada – Majority Leader of the United States Senate. This Tuesday is the sixth anniversary of September 11th, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the victims and their families. In the days following those terrible attacks, the country’s pain and despair were quickly replaced with a steely resolve to bring those responsible to justice. The world stood by our side, ready to join us in this effort.
“But before he’d finished the job of destroying al Qaeda, President Bush chose a different path, misleading us into an ill-planned war in Iraq. As his own counter-terrorism chief said, attacking Iraq after 9/11 was like attacking Mexico after Pearl Harbor. And today, the results of his choice could not be clearer:
"170,000 brave Americans are mired in a civil war in far-away Iraq; Osama bin Laden remains on the loose, making videos, mocking America, planning attacks; Al Qaeda and its leaders are resurgent; And international support for the United States has crumbled.
Our military is not to blame for those setbacks. The men and women who serve us in uniform have met every challenge and surpassed every goal with remarkable courage. These are President Bush’s failures – and it is long past time for him to change his flawed policies.
“This week, President Bush will send General Petraeus to Congress to report on the war -- but before the report arrives in Congress, it will pass through the White House spin machine, where facts are often ignored or twisted, and intelligence is cherry-picked.
“President Bush told us the purpose of his troop surge, his escalation in Iraq, was to give the Iraqis the space and safety to forge political progress and build a sustainable government. Unfortunately, that has not happened. Nonpartisan reports released this past week show that:
The Iraqis have failed to meet 15 of 18 key benchmarks; Iraqi police forces are more interested in igniting rather than ending a civil war; and violence has not subsided despite the President’s assurances to the contrary.
“The unfortunate truth is that Iraq’s leaders have not taken meaningful steps toward building a country that can stand on its own in spite of President Bush spending almost $3 billion each week on this war.
"The release of the Bush/Petraeus report this week is yet another chance to evaluate these shortcomings and finally change course. We must responsibly end the war and return our focus where it belongs: defeating Al Qaeda and fighting a real, effective war on terrorism.
"“If President Bush again refuses to do so, it will be up to the Congress to show him the way – and that is exactly what Democrats intend to do. When President Bush had a Republican Congress, they ignored the bipartisan and unanimous recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. The Democratic Congress passed these recommendations within months of our taking charge and they’re now law.
"And Democrats have voted time and time again this year to change the mission in Iraq. Unfortunately, only a handful of Republicans have had the courage to vote with us. The vast majority have chosen to stick with President Bush and his failed policies.
"Many Republicans spent the summer saying that that September would be the time to change direction. September is here. Now they must finally stand with Democrats, our troops and the American people by voting to responsibly end the war.
"Just days after September 11th, President Bush said of bin Laden: “There’s an old poster out West, as I recall, that said, ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive.’” He went on to say: “One thing for certain is we’re going to get him running and keep him running and bring him to justice.”
"Now six years have passed, and bin Laden has not been killed. He has not been captured. He is not on the run. To the contrary, our intelligence indicates he has used this time to rebuild his terrorist organization. President Bush’s failed policies have been bin Laden’s best recruiting tool. It is bin Laden who has used the breathing room created by the war in Iraq to regroup, re-tool, and recruit.
"So, Mr. President, on this sixth anniversary of 9/11, we ask you to honor the lives we lost on that tragic day by keeping your promise to bring bin Laden to justice and destroy his terror network once and for all. The families of those we lost on September 11th, our troops serving overseas and all Americans deserve no less. This is Sen. Harry Reid. Thank you for listening.”
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Comments
Reid is dead on the money correct.
Bush is a duplicitous, sanctimonious, fool. And that's on a good day.
Posted by: Doug Zook | September 8, 2007 10:15 AM
What a misleading headline. It would seem that the more appropriate title would be "Bush versus The People of the United States"
Posted by: DD | September 8, 2007 10:53 AM
The Newsweek article from two weeks ago illustrates how false the bravado was concerning finding Osama bin Laden "dead or alive."
The timid approach at Tora Bora by the Bush administration gave bin Laden the breathing room he needed to slip away.
I remember 9/11 as follows:
1. Co-worker (known for practical jokes) reports that a plane has hit the World Trade Center. I don't leave my desk, certain it's just another one of his "jokes."
2. Report by office mates that another plane has struck the other tower. (I immediately considered that something must be wrong with the flight systems. I thought about that Egyptian plane that went down a few months earlier.)
3. It was reported that President Bush had gone into hiding.
When I heard that President Bush had gone into a high-tech spider hole at some undisclosed location, I was terrified.
The president is afraid and uncertain about what is happening. Our "leader" is running scared.
When Bush later emerged to tell the world that bin Laden could "run but he couldn't hide," I was LMAO.
What a coward!
That's how I will always remember 9/11.
Posted by: Bud McFarlin | September 8, 2007 10:58 AM
Harry Reid and Osama seem have the same opinion of Pres. Bush. Which in a saner world would embarrass Reid no end.
Robert Spencer at www.jihadwatch.org, has the following comment on one aspect of the Osama video and what many think is bin Laden's dye job:
"The Shafi’i school of Islamic jurisprudence forbids men and women to dye their hair black “except when the intention is jihad...as a show of strength to unbelievers” (’Umdat al-Salik e.4.4). Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, in his The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam, says essentially the same thing: “Some of the early Muslims, including some sahabah [companions of Muhammad] such as Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amr, al-Hassan, al-Hussein, Jarir, and others permitted the use of black dye. Some scholars, on the other hand, do not consider the use of black dye as permissible except during time of war, when the enemy might be impressed by the fact that all the soldiers of the Muslim army look young.”
Author Spencer is perhaps the world's leading western expert on Islamic jihad. Which is perhaps why the Tribune has never interviewed him.
Posted by: Bruce | September 8, 2007 11:04 AM
What pride in having Woody Allen (oops, I mean Harry Reid) as spokesman for the
Democrats. His credo is the old story: "I've lived a long time, seen a lot of changes, and been against every one of them." It's easy to be against things. Much harder to lay out a definitive plan.
But then, he's a senator. His job is only to carp and leadership is always to the rear.
Posted by: McKinley | September 8, 2007 11:09 AM
What you must believe to be a Republican
Things you have to believe to be a Republican today:
Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.
Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.
The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.
A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.
Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.
The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.
If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.
A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.
Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.
HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.
Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.
A president lying about an extramarital affair is a impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.
Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.
The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's drunk driving record and cocaine arrest are none of our business.
Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness, and you need our prayers for your recovery.
You support states' rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt.
Clinton's business interests in the 1970s in which he lost money are of vital national interest, but Bush's activities in the 1980s in which he made money under questionable circumstances is unimportant.
Borrowed from a very wise Dem.
Posted by: Raving Loon | September 8, 2007 11:13 AM
The little boy continues to cry "wolf" and the towns people are fed up with him. The real terrorists are in this country and they control the government. When will the towns people take back the hall?
Posted by: Paul | September 8, 2007 11:30 AM
Raving Loon,
Thanks for that. Of course many a right-winger couldn't care less.
Posted by: Doug Zook | September 8, 2007 11:31 AM
Bud, your "recollection" of 9/11 seems more like that of fool on April's Fool Day.
Let me give you a little education, and God knows you can use all the educating humanly possible:
The Secret Service shooshed the president into "hiding." In reality he never was in hiding, but the Secret Service doing its job: keeping the president safe. The military also keeping the president safe.
The events of that day were horrific enough without the sorry likes of you muddying it up and making it worse.
Posted by: John D | September 8, 2007 11:52 AM
Nice Raving Loon.
Make stuff up from a left wing perspective,....then answer your own question.
Real hard hitting analysis....borrowed no less.
Should we make up one for the Dems?
Posted by: JD | September 8, 2007 12:25 PM
With the 15th anniversary of the first World Trade Center bombing nearing you would think Reid would think first.
What ever happened to that flier who went down in his big airplane in the middle of the most advanced country in the world?
Posted by: whatnow | September 8, 2007 12:50 PM
Bud,
You're being kind of hard on the 'ol Dubyaster.
Not knowing the extent of what was unfolding on 9/11, the Secret Service did the right thing by keeping Dubya safe. We've had enough assassinated presidents.
Posted by: Doug Zook | September 8, 2007 12:55 PM
Bush said: "we have driven al Qaeda out of strongholds in Anbar".
"We" have done no such thing. The Sunnis in Anbar started rejecting jihadists from abroad last year, before "we" began "surging."
Instead of congratulating the Iraqis who made this choice, Bush claims the credit. Because he can't point to political progress as a result of the "surge."
He spent a few hours in Anbar. And now claims "We" are "Kicking Ass."
What a shallow, needy man.
Posted by: athena | September 8, 2007 1:06 PM
As Sean Hannity preached yeterday, Isnt the world better off without Saddam Hussein?
Thank you Mr President for ridding the world of the tyrant oppressing his country, and ridding the world of the monster responsible for the deaths of 1000s of Iraqis. Not to mention the threat he posed with the WMDs.
Now heres a question for you defeatocrats: If we were not fighting the people responsible for 9/11 in Iraq, suppose you tell us where we should be fighting them?
Posted by: Smirky McFlightsuit | September 8, 2007 1:20 PM
Mr. McFlightsuit, I have one question for you.
Why is Osama bin Laden still free to make videos?
Wouldn't HE be the guy we should go after for 9-11?
Posted by: athena | September 8, 2007 1:39 PM
Loved comment above that stated that Bush II is a raving loon. He is also dangerous to life and limb of our military who are dying not for America but for nothing not to speak of the equipment replacement costs and $467 billion wasted and continuing that could have repaired a lot of our infrastructure. And it is not over as this dangerous madman is planning on attacking Iran with 30,000 pound bombs now being loaded on our B-52 planes. He is trying to start World War III which we will lose to Russia and China if he succeeds. America will fall thanks to a cocaine and alcohol addict now reformed but whose brain has been fried leading to reckless judgments by the Decider. And you thought Stalin was dangerous!
Posted by: mascmen7 | September 8, 2007 1:41 PM
Smirky McFlightsuit,
I say under the desk in the oval office.
I'm jus' sayin.'
Posted by: Run -n- Cut | September 8, 2007 1:45 PM
We should devote resources to fighting Al Qaeda wherever it is. Pakistan.Algeria. Morocco.
Afthanistan Indonesia. And, yes, some parts of Iraq.
Right now, since we're spending all our blood and money policing an Iraq civil war which has little to do with stopping Al Qaeda (and everything to do with enriching Iraqi plutocrats and corrupt bureaucrats in the reconstruction business with trillions of US taxpayer dollars) we are doing nothing to stop Al Qaeda, which, by many accounts, is undergoing a resurgence. In Afghanistan,for example, the extremists are behind
bumper poppy crops, good news for drug dealers around the world.
The Republicans may have initiated this disastrous foreign policy, but the Dems have done nothing to stop it. So, we are stuck
pouring trillions into a dysfunctional country we don't even like much, while Al Qaeda continues to grow across the world and regular Americans have less security, not more.
Posted by: helena | September 8, 2007 1:46 PM
Now heres a question for you defeatocrats: If we were not fighting the people responsible for 9/11 in Iraq, suppose you tell us where we should be fighting them?
Let's see... there's Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, for starters. How many times does the man you voted for have to tell you there was no connection between Iraq and the 9/11/01 attacks before it sinks in? How many times does he have to admit there were no WMD in Iraq before it sinks in?
9/11 is not a holiday, by the way.
Posted by: Ripley | September 8, 2007 2:46 PM
You read that headline and you really should be sad that it doesn't say:
"Americans against al Qaeda"
Posted by: Terry | September 8, 2007 2:59 PM
"Next week, after consulting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my national security team, ,members of Congress from both parties, and Iraqi leaders, I will speak directly to the nation about the recommendations General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker have presented to me,"
And now that it's public knowledge that Petraeus' recommendation is being written by the White House, Dumbya is admitting that he'll take his own advice.
Brilliant!
Posted by: BC | September 8, 2007 3:50 PM
John D says that he wants to give someone " a little education", and that's a mental stretch even for him.
Hey John D - are you EVER going to produce PROOF POSITIVE that you know for a FACT that John Edwards pays as much for his suits as Bush does? Or will you EVER have the BACKBONE to admit that you have no idea what you're talking about and that you MADE UP this allegation?
Saying that someone's rich and linking to a Men's Vogue magazine that reiterates that fact (one that millions of Americans already knew) DOES NOT EQUAL proof of your allegation.
I wish your former editors were here to keep you in line and stop you from posting FALSEHOODS!
Posted by: BC | September 8, 2007 3:58 PM
Terry,
Dubya & Darth started it with Defeatocrat and cut -n- runner.
My father did two tours in Vietnam. I was 11 years old when I held my mother as she slid to the floor crying as a chaplain and another officer walked down the sidewalk - and lucky for us - kept on walking - as we continued to wonder what was up as me padre had "classified orders in 'Nam."
I crew chiefied on a B-52 with nukes in the late 1970s. No combat. For which you can be damned thankful or none of us would be here.
The moral to the story is not that I am more patriotic than thou. It is that when you and/or others who run your keyboards about Democrats being defeatocrats, cut - n-runners, cowards and all that I'd really like to see you and yours say that to my face.
Posted by: Doug Zook | September 8, 2007 4:08 PM
Athena and Run and Cut are the epitome of the stupidity of the Left. They happen to believe "Smirky McFlightsuit" to be a conservative, when in reality it's just another Demented Lefty, and more than likely John E.
I always get a big kick when one Loony Lefty attacks another Loony Lefty without ever knowing it!!
Posted by: John D | September 8, 2007 4:18 PM
The whole so-called "war on terrorism" is phony. Bush is the only real terrorist, and personally ordered the 9/11/2001 attacks. He is a fascist dog, and worse than Hitler.
Posted by: George | September 8, 2007 4:54 PM
U.S. out of Iraq! Hands off of Iran! George Bush is a war criminal. The U.S. government is the real "terrorist." Rebuild New Orleans with the proceeds of an auction of all U.S. military assets. FREE THE JENNA 6! Down with the Democrats and Republicans--the tools of the rich!
Posted by: me | September 8, 2007 4:59 PM
Doug,
The Secret Service will always take steps to protect the president.
My beef with Bush has nothing to do with the saftey of the president and it has everything to do with his swagger after he came out of his rat hole- when the coast was clear. His false bravdo is characteristic of a coward.
The manner in which he took the blow horn at Ground Zero was also emblematic of his small-mindedness.
Almost 3000 people lost their lives at Ground Zero. It was hallowed ground. Bush made it a platform for his "we coming to get you, bin Laden" rallying cry.
Lincoln didn't use Gettysburg as the platform for his re-election. He understood the significance of the moment and didn't drape the moment over his shoulders with self-indulgence.
Posted by: Bud McFarlin | September 8, 2007 5:17 PM
John D,
I am an erstwhile Leftie Lib Demoncrat, but you and Bruce and Sean and Bill and Rush made me see the errors of my ways. I am merely keeping my old Loony Lib name as a genteel reminder that anyone can come around to the truth of the GOP.
Come, embrace me into the fold.
Posted by: Smirky McFlightsuit | September 8, 2007 5:43 PM
Bud,
You know how I feel about the chickenhawk -in- chief.
He was a no call, no show at the Alabama Air National Guard which made him a deserter in time of war.
All I was saying is Dubya wasn't guilty of being a coward for not heading back to D.C. after his MY Pet Goat pregnant pause moment in Florida on that fateful day.
Posted by: Doug Zook | September 8, 2007 5:51 PM
Doug,
The democrats, who voted overwhelmingly, to give the President the power to wage this war have decided it is more politically expediate to divide this country. Good news on the surge from our military is bad news for the democrats.
There are even some democratic congressman that hope that the surge fails because it hurts the democratic politically.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/30/AR2007073001380_pf.html
He stated, I'll bet there are dozens more that think it.
That is sad
Posted by: Terry | September 8, 2007 8:52 PM
Doug, a few weeks ago I put forth proof that Bush did his time in Alabama. It's in the records that he showed up. For once, learn the truth and stop living in the world of Perpetual Stupidity by the Left.
Posted by: John D | September 9, 2007 3:01 AM
5% drawdown of troops is my prediction. RNC Bruce how much do they pay you to post propaganda. All you and these busters like John D and Paulo do is spew the corporate line. Republican good, Democrat bad. Weak. Very weak.
Posted by: Former Brainwashed Republican | September 9, 2007 4:00 AM
Raving loon,
Nice list.
It's called 'DoubleThink';
The ability to hold two completely opposite views at the same time while believing both to be true.
Posted by: C.Morris | September 9, 2007 1:08 PM
AL QAEDA'S NUMBERS ARE ONLY 3% TO 5% OF THE TOTAL SUNNI INSURGENCY!
IF WE'RE IN IRAQ TO FIGHT "AL QAEDA", THE TERRORISTS RESPONSIBLE FOR 9/11, WHY DO WE NEED 160,000 AMERICAN SOLIDIERS TO THWART A FORCE ESTIMATED TO BE AT BEST 3,000?
IS "AL QAEDA'S" FORCE OF 3000 SO MUCH BETTER ORGANIZED, ARMED AND EQUIPPED THAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO DEFEAT 160,000 AMERICAN SOLDIERS?
IS "AL QAEDA'S" FORCE OF 3000 SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NEARLY 4000 AMERICAN DEATHS THUS FAR?
HOW MANY AMERICAN’S WERE KILLED BY SUNNIS OR SHITES? HOW MANY AL QAEDA HAVE BEEN KILLED BY AMERICAN TROOPS IN IRAQ?
WHO IS DOING THE KILLING OF THE HUNDREDS OF THOSANDS OF IRAQI CIVILIANS?
AL QAEDA ISN’T THE REASON FOR ALL THE KILLING THAT’S GOING ON IN IRAQ. GEORGE W. BUSH IS!
"[I]t is estimated that foreigners make up at least 70 percent of al Qaeda's 1,000 to several thousand fighters. Other estimates suggest al Qaeda's numbers around 850, about 3 to 5 percent of the Sunni insurgency."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda_in_Iraq
Posted by: osage | September 9, 2007 2:13 PM
Is Osage, Roger Morris in disguise so he can go back to ALL CAPS again???
Posted by: John D | September 9, 2007 7:32 PM
Whoever osage is they make some very good points. The CAPS ARE ANNOYING BUT...
AL QAEDA ISN’T THE REASON FOR ALL THE KILLING THAT’S GOING ON IN IRAQ. GEORGE W. BUSH IS!
Colin Powell and Bush 41 look very wise right about now. I suppose they were pinkos and communists right neo-con nutters. I wouldn't know where to start with Powell's great quotes but here's a couple to ponder.
"Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most."
Epigram from Thucydides kept in the office of General Colin Powell when he was Chariman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"The sanctions exist -- not for the purpose of hurting the Iraqi people, but for the purpose of keeping in check Saddam Hussein's ambitions toward developing weapons of mass destruction ... And frankly they have worked. He has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors. So in effect, our policies have strengthened the security of the neighbors of Iraq ... "
press remarks with Foreign Minister of Egypt Amre Moussa, Ittihadiya Palace, Cairo, 2001-02-24
And of course the mother of all Colin quotes.
"You break it, you own it."
Secretary of State Colin Powell was quoted in Plan of Attack, a book in which he was a key source, as cautioning President Bush before the war that he would “own” Iraq, 2004-10-17
Something to reflect on.
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | September 9, 2007 9:31 PM
Whatnow:
Democrats remember the WTC bombing 15 years ago - because the mastermind behind that was arrested, tried and is in jail right now - thanks to the Bill Clinton Justice Department.
Can you say the same for 9/11??
Johnny D:
If I remember correctly, your "proof" of Bush being on duty during Viet Nam came from an article in The National Review, or The Weekly Standard - two well known arms of the Republican Party. Next time, find a source that is independent.
Posted by: BobinATL | September 10, 2007 10:33 AM
Bobin,
That arresting of the '93 WTC bombers really slowed down the terrorist movement.
Instead of WW2, FDR should have just arreested those Japanese pilots and put them on trial.
Posted by: Terry | September 10, 2007 9:49 PM
New Osama video seems yet another forgery. Everyone needs Osama alive:
terrorists as symbolic leader and the US Administration - to avoid
scaling down the war on terror.
Obadiah Shoher rightly notes (
http://www.samsonblinded.org/news/osama-commemorates-911-1114 ) that
new Osama talks like a leftist university professor. I like Shoher's
analysis. No way a terrorist leader like Osama would use a speechwriter. Osama is famous
for his rhetoric.
Also, in the tape Osama both threatens America with attack (by
"proving" Americans polytheists) and offers (yet another time)
long-term coaching in Islam.
But his dyed beard makes me cautious. Islam's mujahedeen dye their
beards before battle.
Posted by: Eugene | September 11, 2007 4:00 AM