The war on terror saga, episode # 12655

[TankGirl]

The war on terror is proceeding nicely in Iraq. There might not have been any weapons of mass destruction nor terrorists in Iraq when US attacked and occupied it but now Al Quaeda is solidly established there and has a huge pool of volunteers to recruit from. After practicing their skills on Iraqian civilians and US soldiers they now seem to be established and equipped well enough to expand their operations into neighbouring countries.

Guardian:
Al-Qaida group claims Jordan attacks

The al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist organisation today claimed responsibility for the suicide attacks in Jordan, which killed at least 57 people last night.

A statement, which has not been authenticated, was posted on a website used by militant groups and said Amman was targeted because it is the "backyard" for US operations.

The claim was signed in the name of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.

The statement said Amman is "a backyard for the enemies of the faith, the Jews and crusaders...a filthy place for the traitors...and a centre for prostitution."

At least 57 people and more than 100 were wounded when suicide bombers targeted three hotels in the Jordanian capital.

The Grand Hyatt, Radisson and Days Inn hotels were said to be popular with foreigners and many of the guests were involved in the reconstruction of Iraq.

How will this war adventure end? One plausible scenario is a Vietnam-style withdrawal, followed by chaos and civil war in Iraq. As an extra bonus the whole area will harbour much stronger anti-US sentiments than ever, and instead of having to hide out in the rural outbacks of Afghanistan and Pakistan the terrorist organizations can operate from more central locations with a considerably strengthened personnel.

[multi]

onward christian soldiers...
theres a long tradition of occupation of that region and its inevitable withdrawl
followed by years of unrest..its part of a pattern

the long tradition of the ruling clas controlling the masses with fear goes ever on..

[albed]

Originally Posted by TankGirl

The war on terror is proceeding nicely in Iraq. There might not have been any weapons of mass destruction nor terrorists in Iraq when US attacked and occupied it but now Al Quaeda is solidly established there and has a huge pool of volunteers to recruit from. After practicing their skills on Iraqian civilians and US soldiers they now seem to be established and equipped well enough to expand their operations into neighbouring countries.



How will this war adventure end? One plausible scenario is a Vietnam-style withdrawal, followed by chaos and civil war in Iraq. As an extra bonus the whole area will harbour much stronger anti-US sentiments than ever, and instead of having to hide out in the rural outbacks of Afghanistan and Pakistan the terrorist organizations can operate from more central locations with a considerably strengthened personnel.

Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back. I don't remember you rooting for them while they were getting their asses kicked, but now that they've killed a few dozen Jordanians you're suddenly a big booster.

Enjoy your short term victories.

[floydian slip]

[theknife]

Originally Posted by TankGirl

The war on terror is proceeding nicely in Iraq. There might not have been any weapons of mass destruction nor terrorists in Iraq when US attacked and occupied it but now Al Quaeda is solidly established there and has a huge pool of volunteers to recruit from. After practicing their skills on Iraqian civilians and US soldiers they now seem to be established and equipped well enough to expand their operations into neighbouring countries.



How will this war adventure end? One plausible scenario is a Vietnam-style withdrawal, followed by chaos and civil war in Iraq. As an extra bonus the whole area will harbour much stronger anti-US sentiments than ever, and instead of having to hide out in the rural outbacks of Afghanistan and Pakistan the terrorist organizations can operate from more central locations with a considerably strengthened personnel.

no chit - the terrorist class of 2005 has graduated, thanks to the failed "flypaper" strategy.

having confirmed in Tuesday's elections that his credibilty is completely shot, the Prez will be under tremendous pressure to begin troop withdrawals from Iraq as the 2006 Congressional elections draw near. the GOP simply has no other card to play.

[floydian slip]

Originally Posted by theknife

the GOP simply has no other card to play.

or do they? dont forget the terror card. it worked so well on 9/11

GOP memo touts new terror attack as way to reverse party's decline

A confidential memo circulating among senior Republican leaders suggests that a new attack by terrorists on U.S. soil could reverse the sagging fortunes of President George W. Bush as well as the GOP and "restore his image as a leader of the American people."

[JackSpratts]

GOP memos no longer talk of “victory” in Iraq but use the term “successful resolution.”

“A successful resolution would be us getting out intact and civil war not breaking out until after the midterm elections.”

woohoo! well that would certainly be worth 2000+ dead americans wouldn't it?

[albed]

Don't be so cheerful. The Jordanians have started protesting against al-qaeda instead of against the U.S. You guys have got to go over there and set them straight. Quick, just toss your pot into a suitcase and hop a flight over and start telling them how the U.S. is the real bad guy.

[malvachat]

Originally Posted by floydian slip

or do they? dont forget the terror card. it worked so well on 9/11

GOP memo touts new terror attack as way to reverse party's decline

Well well,I hope not.
Just imagine what Alex will have to say then?

[theknife]

Bush came out swinging on Vet's Day, in a new campaign to deflect criticism of of his decision to go to war with Iraq:

President Bush, on the defensive over claims that he manipulated intelligence to build support for invading Iraq, launched an unusually sharp attack on critics Friday for what he called trying to "rewrite the history" of how and why the war began.

Bush said his critics were undermining U.S. troops by claiming that his administration had misled the public on whether Saddam Hussein had obtained weapons of mass destruction.

"The stakes in the global war on terror are too high, and the national interest is too important, for politicians to throw out false charges," the president said in a Veterans Day address at an Army depot in Tobyhanna.

in his zeal to counter the growing public perception that he is dishonest (57% of the country feels this way, according to latest polls), he made two specific charges: that critics of the administration signed off on the same intelligence he did before the war and that he has already been exonerated of charges of intelligence manipulation by Congressional investigation. unfortunately, neither one of these claims is true:

But Bush and his aides had access to much more voluminous intelligence information than did lawmakers, who were dependent on the administration to provide the material. And the commissions cited by officials, though concluding that the administration did not pressure intelligence analysts to change their conclusions, were not authorized to determine whether the administration exaggerated or distorted those conclusions.

National security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, briefing reporters Thursday, countered "the notion that somehow this administration manipulated the intelligence." He said that "those people who have looked at that issue, some committees on the Hill in Congress, and also the Silberman-Robb Commission, have concluded it did not happen."

But the only committee investigating the matter in Congress, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has not yet done its inquiry into whether officials mischaracterized intelligence by omitting caveats and dissenting opinions. And Judge Laurence H. Silberman, chairman of Bush's commission on weapons of mass destruction, said in releasing his report on March 31, 2005: "Our executive order did not direct us to deal with the use of intelligence by policymakers, and all of us were agreed that that was not part of our inquiry."

kudos to the Washington Post for immediately calling the Prez on, let's be kind and say, his less than accurate claims. nice to see the press doing it's job finally.

edit: more than a few people noticed that the speech Bush gave on November 11 was virtually identical to the one he gave 5 weeks ago on October 6. if it didn't buy him any credibility then, what makes him think it will do so now?

[RoBoBoy]

candidate Bush in 2000

The U.S. should not be in the nation-building business. We can not be expected to shed American blood and billions of dollars to police the world.