PrairiePundit

Losing bin Laden Robert Novak reviews a new book that details the Clinton administrations response tothe bombing of the USS Cole. It was not Clinton refusing to act so much as all the libs around the table telling him he should not. "...This startling story is told for the first time in a book by Brussels-based investigative reporter Richard Miniter to be published this week. 'Losing bin Laden' relates that Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Secretary of Defense William Cohen, Atty. Gen. Janet Reno and CIA Director George Tenet all said no to the attack. I have contacted enough people attending the meeting to confirm what Miniter reports. Indeed, his account is based on direct, on-the-record quotes from participants." "...Clarke proposed already targeted retaliation against bin Laden's camps and Taliban buildings in Kabul and Kandahar. At least, they would destroy the terrorist infrastructure. A quick strike might also get Osama bin Laden. ...

Where did the French get a reputation for diplomacy? The new French ambassador to Israel gets off to a bad start. "France's new ambassador to Israel caused a diplomatic row with his hosts yesterday after he was reported to have described the Jewish state as 'paranoid' and called its prime minister, Ariel Sharon, 'a lout.'" "...The row is reminiscent of comments by Daniel Bernard, the former French ambassador to London. He caused a storm in December 2001 after being heard at a dinner party speaking of 'that shitty little country, Israel.' "M Araud's comments appear to have been made in a similarly unguarded moment. Boaz Bissmuth, a correspondent for the mass circulation Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot, reported hearing M Araud talk disparagingly about Israel in conversation with two other French diplomats during a recent cocktail party in Paris."

aThe Saudis and the confessions of Zubaydah Time magazine reports: ...when Zubaydah was confronted by the false Saudis, writes Posner, "his reaction was not fear, but utter relief." Happy to see them, he reeled off telephone numbers for a senior member of the royal family who would, said Zubaydah, "tell you what to do." The man at the other end would be Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, a Westernized nephew of King Fahd's and a publisher better known as a racehorse owner. His horse War Emblem won the Kentucky Derby in 2002. To the amazement of the U.S., the numbers proved valid. When the fake inquisitors accused Zubaydah of lying, he responded with a 10-minute monologue laying out the Saudi-Pakistani-bin Laden triangle. Zubaydah, writes Posner, said the Saudi connection ran through Prince Turki al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz, the kingdom's longtime intelligence chief. Zubaydah said bin Laden "personally" told him of a 1991 meeting at w...

California Dodger Tacitus examines Cruz Bustamonte's attempt to avoid answering questions about MEChA's racist agenda. "...On 30 August, he tried to dodge on a Fox News appearance, but was finally cornered by a persistent interviewer: "On Fox News on Saturday, Bustamante was asked whether he renounced a slogan of the group: 'For the race everything. For those outside the race, nothing.' "He responded that he loved his culture and would represent the entire state if he became governor. "'My politics ... have grown to a point where I'm a very inclusive individual, and all you have to do is look at the politics I've shared and the kind of politics that I've had,' Bustamante said. "When pressed a fourth time for a more direct answer, Bustamante said, 'Racial separatism is wrong... You have to look at what people do, not just what they say, and I think I've demonstrated my ability.' It shoul...

The Dean-Clark ticket George Will: "...Another potential Dean weakness, implicating his political judgment, is suggested by believable reports that he admires retired Gen. Wesley Clark, former NATO commander. Dean, more than any other possible Democratic nominee, might need a running mate who would assuage anxieties about a former Vermont governor's lack of national-security experience. "Other Democrats see Clark as a solution to a problem their party has had since the McGovernite takeover in 1972, the problem of voters' doubts about its competence regarding national security. But the fact that Clark is the kind of military man who appeals to Democrats - and that they appeal to him - helps explain why the party has that problem." "...Clark's claim to presidential stature derives from directing NATO's 78 days of war at 15,000 feet over Serbia. It was the liberals' dream war: Tenuously related to U.S. security, its overriding ai...

Arrest grow to 19 in mosque bombing More al Qaeda operativs have been arrested in connection with the bombing of a mosque in Najaf. "...Those arrested include two Kuwaitis and six Palestinians with Jordanian passports. The remainder are Iraqis and Saudis, the official said, without giving a breakdown. "Initial information shows the foreigners entered Iraq from Kuwait, Syria and Jordan, the official said, adding that they belong to the rigid Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam. "They are all connected to al Qaeda," the official said.

Big Picture Clifford May makes an intersting comparison between reconstruction in the south after the civil war and the current situation in Iraq. "The war liberated millions. But the post-war period proved difficult. Members of the former regime went underground and continued to fight, using terrorist tactics – even against their fellow countrymen. Those who had been freed lacked essential services, including food, clean water, jobs and housing. Opposition to the “occupation” persisted. The reconstruction progressed slowly. True democracy took years to establish. "Nevertheless, most Americans today agree that President Lincoln was right to wage the Civil War." "...Perhaps most troubling are those who remain unable -- or unwilling -- to see the big picture, who fail to connect the ideological, strategic and tactical dots linking suicide-bombings in such apparently disparate places as Bombay, Baghdad, Jakarta, and Jerusalem. "They claim t...

August 30, 2003

Kelly: regime change the only way to disarm Iraq The "source" for the BBC report critical of the governments dossier on Iraq actually favored the war. "...Kelly's article reveals a hawkish stance on Iraq which will come as some comfort to Number 10. 'Iraq has spent the past 30 years building up an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction [WMD],' he wrote. 'Although the current threat presented by Iraq militarily is modest, both in terms of conventional and unconventional weapons, it has never given up its intent to develop and stockpile such weapons for both military and terrorist use.' "Kelly argues that any co-operation with UN weapons inspectors was superficial and that rockets specifically for chemical and biological use had been found." "...'The threat of credible military force has forced Saddam Hussein to admit, but not co-operate with, the UN inspectorate,' he wrote. 'So-called concessions - U2 overfl...

August 30, 2003

Four arrested in mosque bombing Four al Qaeda operatives were arrested for the bombing of the mosque that has claimed over 100 lives. "...The police official, who led the initial investigation and interrogation of the captives, said the prisoners told of other plots to kill political and religious leaders and to damage vital installations such as power plants, water supplies and oil pipelines." "...The police official said the men arrested after the attack claimed the recent bombings were designed to keep Iraq in a state of chaos so that police and American forces would be unable to focus attention on the country's porous borders, across which suspected foreign fighters are said to be infiltrating. "The four men arrived in Najaf three days before the bombing and were staying with a friend who did not know their intentions, the official said."

August 30, 2003

Al Qaeda operative caught in Iraqi flypaper A member of al Qaeda was caught in Iraq with 11 rockets which were intended for use against US forces. "...The unnamed suspect was captured during an Aug. 20 raid in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, the capital, along with two other unnamed men, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. At least one of the other two men was believed to be a member of the extremist group Ansar al-Islam, the official said." "...The organization recently intensified its activities, U.S. officials said Friday. U.S. intelligence officials said they have recent human and signal intelligence indicating that a senior leader of the group, Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian, has returned to Iraq. He had been rumored to be in Iran."

Blowing up a mosque Killing a cleric and over 80 worshippers was most likely done by other muslims. In a rational world it should put to rest the bogus claim that the US war against the terrorist is a war against Islam. Unfortunately, the people who make the charge act on emotion, not rational thought. The Washington Post Story starts from the premise that the US has suffered a great blow by the killing of the cleric and his flock. The Post is wrong. It is Islam that is disgraced by the conduct of the merchants of hate that reside within that religion.

The five commandments Jonah Goldberg has a solution for the "crisis" in Alabama. "...So let's do the political thing: compromise. If the ACLU et al. won't accept Ten Commandments, how about five? "Surely 'Thou shall not steal' doesn't bother anybody. If it did, the ACLU would be suing to have laws against theft repealed (I know, I know: Don't give them any ideas). And a prohibition against bearing false witness shouldn't raise eyebrows now that Clinton's out of office. "Honoring thy father and mother is still considered 'uncool' by much of the Hollywood crowd, but, really, where's the harm? And covetousness - at least in the forms of greed and materialism - has always been one of the left's biggest peeves, so no problems there. Also, going by the left's rhetoric on war and the death penalty alone, I have to assume they're not going to complain about the whole 'Thou shall not kill' thi...

A liberal who gets it Sean LaFreniere: "...The Leftist critics of the United States are just as out of it as the cave dwelling terrorists. Both believe that America is simply what they imagine it to be, a greedy, heartless, and gutless collection of loosly connected individuals... a paper tiger. Something that will collapse when struck with even mild force. But both are wrong, and are wrong for the same reason. They would know this if they lived in America and among Americans. I thusly call on all the Gore Vidal's and Noam Chomsky's to climb down from their Ivory Tower, their high horse, and put the pen down... grab a Budwiser and watch the Super Bowl from Pete's Pub this fallwinter. Repeat this treatment until you stop sniggering at the idea of flying the Stars and Stripes from your porch next July. Got it?"

Hating Murdoch Who do you hate more? "Listening to pundits on the left, it's hard to know who is more evil--George W. Bush or Rupert Murdoch. The president, some passionately believe, tricked us into war, which is of course bad. But Mr. Murdoch gave us the Fox News Channel. You decide." "...Why are the critics so fixated on him? Why not, for example, target General Electric, which owns a broadcast network, cable networks and a bunch of TV stations in addition to its appliances, plastics, credit and defense businesses? Just imagine if Mr. Murdoch were a major U.S. defense contractor too. The critics would blow a gasket."

Those hoping for failure in Iraq Victor Davis Hanson explains why some want the US to fail. "It is not hard to determine who wishes the United States to succeed in rebuilding Iraq along lines that will promote consensual government, personal freedom, and economic vitality: Hardly anyone. At least, few other than the Iraqi and American people." "...In more fundamental terms, how can pacifists and socialists believe that war might rout evil and offer hope to millions of oppressed? How might unilateralism achieve what internationalism could not? How could crass, naïve Yankees barrel and bluster into the complexities of the Middle East to solve problems sophisticated, nuanced Europeans had struggled with for centuries? "In short, our failure is essential to confirming the entire European view of how the world should work. Expecting French support would be the equivalent of asking them to admit that investment in American-style air-conditioners was necessar...

Left angry because it lost the argument over the war John Podhoretz analyzes the angry left. "...But it's absurd to claim that, because Fox has bested CNN and MSNBC in the cable-news race, its influence surpasses the combined might of the three broadcast networks, the news magazines and the editorial guidance given at most of the major daily U.S. newspapers. "It's so absurd, in fact, that few on the right genuinely believe that people on the left genuinely suffer from Foxanoia. My fellow conservatives tend to think the argument that there's no liberal media anymore is simply a smokescreen, a sophistic dodge. "It's not. They do believe it, because they believe so ardently in the power of the media that they figure their inability to stop the Iraq war from happening can only be explained by the rise of a pro-war media. "In fact, they lost an argument about the nature of terrorism, rogue nations and world power after 9/11. But they c...

August 28, 2003

The crucial question not asked John Keegan ask: "...As things stand, several key questions remain unanswered. The first is whether Dr Kelly did or did not have official permission to speak to the media. Normally, and according to the Civil Service establishment code, civil servants do not have such permission and lay themselves open to disciplinary reproof if they violate the ban. Indeed, in a little-noticed response, Mr Campbell testified that his initial reaction to the exposure of Dr Kelly as Gilligan's source was that disciplinary procedures were called for. "The second question is whether, if Dr Kelly were authorised to speak to the press, as has been suggested but not explicitly verified, then on what terms?"

Clark thinks they are out to get him Former General wesley Clark is in the running for the ross Perot parnoia award. "General Wesley Clark, the former Nato commander in Bosnia, and a probable presidential contender, has accused White House officials of trying to get him sacked as a CNN military analyst because they feared he would criticise the Iraq war." His candidacy is probably to be a Howard Dean running mate, in a weak attempt to give him some credibility on national security. His problem is that Clark has come across as weak as the rest of the Dem field when it comes to national security issues.

Islamic cleric on trial for terrorism says those who oppose him want to destroy Islamic faith Abu Bakar Ba'asyir thinks Islam is under seige because he is on trial. This guy must think Islam is a fragil religion. "This trial is fuelled by the enemy of God, the US Government and its allies," he told the court on Wednesday. "All of this is aimed at fracturing Islam so that it could be dictated and dominated," he said.

A war we are winning Austin Bay: "It's time for the defeatist hotheads of August to take a look at American and allied success in the War on Terror. "As the fall of 2003 approaches, Iraq is two battlefields and one birthplace. On one battlefield, the venomous regime of Saddam Hussein dies a slow, painful and dangerous death. Big vipers die killing because killing is their be-all and -- to the last -- their end-all. With cash stashed in Iraq and corrupt banks throughout the world, with weapons littering Iraq's landscape, the snake still has ready poison. It's why Americans who understand the enemy continue to apply deadly, insistent military and political pressure. "The second battlefield is a large "strategic" ambush, and the enemy entering the kill zone still hasn't quite figured it out. From an American perspective that presents an opportunity, an opportunity with risks, but one with huge potential payoffs. "In Iraq, A...

UN and terrorism Alan Dershowitz says, "Several days ago I received a phone call from a Brazilian journalist who asked me to respond to the charge being made in her home country that Israel was at least indirectly to blame for the deadly truck bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad that killed, among others, a prominent Brazilian diplomat, Sergio Vieira de Mello. "I was not surprised at the question, considering its source. Among many South Americans, as among many Eastern Europeans, the knee-jerk response to nearly every evil is 'blame it on the Jews.'" "...For more than a quarter of a century, the U.N. has actively encouraged terrorism by rewarding its primary practitioners, legitimating it as a tactic, condemning its victims when they try to defend themselves and describing the murderers of innocent children as 'freedom fighters.' No organization in the world today has accorded so much legitimacy to terrorism as has the...

Walmart Harold Myerson thinks it is bad that Wallmart works so hard to get low prices for consumers. He argues that consumers would be better off paying more for goods and services. He uses Henry Ford's paying of wages high enough to make his workers consumers of his product as an example. He is wrong on all counts. Capitalism is successful because the guy with the best product at the best price usually wins the sale. If you attempt to ignor this rule you put corruption into the market place that takes value from everyone. Wallmart is successful because it is the ultimate capitalist enterprise. Even the low wages it pays its employees can lead to great wealth for them because of the stock bonuses they can receive. Consumers are able to get more value for their expenditures, leaving more money for car payments or house payments spurring the economy in much the same way Henry Ford did, but this is available to everyone who is near one fo their stores and not to just ...

Nattering negativity Jack Kelly takes on the negative media minds when it comes to Iraq. "...Television is worse. The CBS Evening News broadcast Aug. 20 a report by Mark Phillips that Mickey Kaus said was "so jaw-droppingly one-sided and opportunistically defeatist" that it made the BBC look like the O'Reilly Factor." "Judging from news reports... some might think my native Iraq was in a terrible mess. Not so," wrote Ayad Rahim in The Washington Times. "Except for the isolated contract killings and sabotage, the country is calm and experiencing improved conditions day by day," Mr. Rahim said. "A general who previously served in Kosovo said things are happening in Iraq after three months that didn't happen after 12 months in Kosovo."

August 26, 2003

Iraqis are being killed by Saddam's murders too George Will says that there are some Iraqis who are paying the price for freedom. "...Part of the good news out of Iraq -- good news obscured by recent bad news, and sometimes mistaken for unalloyed bad news -- is that the deaths, including 62 Americans, caused by hostile action in Iraq since major combat operations ended include the deaths of almost 50 Iraqis. They died, Wolfowitz says, as exemplary pioneers of Iraq's progress up from tyranny, while working with coalition forces to secure public order and create civil society." "...Still, the elemental problem is that decades of Baathist rule crippled Iraq's infrastructure -- Myers visited a Baghdad hospital unimproved in half a century -- and reduced Iraq's population to a dust of individuals, unpracticed in individual initiative and social cooperation." Shaking off that dust and releasing Iraqi initiative is more important that the bric...

Iraq WMD may be in Lebanonn "U.S. intelligence suspects Iraq's weapons of mass destruction have finally been located." "...they are located in Lebanon's heavily-fortified Bekaa Valley, swarming with Iranian and Syrian forces, and Hizbullah and ex-Iraqi agents, Geostrategy-Direct.com will report in Wednesday's new weekly edition. "U.S. intelligence first identified a stream of tractor-trailer trucks moving from Iraq to Syria to Lebaon in January 2003. The significance of this sighting did not register on the CIA at the time. "U.S. intelligence sources believe the area contains extended-range Scud-based missiles and parts for chemical and biological warheads."

Saudis show new cooperation on finding al Qaeda funding Saudi Arabia has agreed to a joint task force witht he FBI and other federal agents of the US in the search for al Qaeda funding in the Kingdom. "...The U.S. contingent on the task force will consist of five to 15 representatives from the FBI, the Treasury Department and other government agencies that monitor terrorism financing. "Saudi Arabia has been under intense pressure by the United States to move more aggressively against suspected terrorist financiers since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Some of the charities believed to fund the al Qaeda terrorist network are sponsored by the Saudi government, and 15 of the 19 individuals who participated in the attacks were Saudis. In recent congressional hearings, a senior government official described Saudi Arabia as the 'epicenter' of terrorist financing. "Lormel and Aufhauser said one of the new group's top priorities would be analyzing a trov...

State's top North Korean guy steps down The man who favored the carrot and stick approach with the hermit kingdom resigned just days before negotiations are to begin on removing North Korea's nuclear materials. "...Mr. Pritchard, who has had long experience in talks with the North, including a stint on President Clinton's National Security Council, is identified with a more conciliatory stance toward the North. He long advocated a carrot-and-stick approach, with incentives to North Korea for good behavior. "But a more confrontational position, favored at the White House and expressed by John R. Bolton, the under secretary for arms control at the State Department, gained ground in recent weeks, and at least one Republican senator complained to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell about Mr. Pritchard's approach."

US to increase aid to Afghanistan The US will substantially increase training for police in Afghanistan. This comes at a time when the Taliban have been making war on local police stations. The new aid may also include peace keepng forces outside of Kabul.

Al Qaeda plans strike against Brits Al Qaeda wants to hijack and plane and run it into a building in Britian. "...The warning said five-person teams of terrorists would probably attempt to hijack aircraft with weapons concealed in typical travelers' belongings like cameras, the paper reported." "...In the hopes of preventing a passenger uprising like the one aboard Flight 93 on Sept. 11, the terrorist hijackers plan to tell passengers that it isn't a suicide mission but a traditional, ransom-seeking hijack job, according to the newspaper."

Hamas "vows revenge" This headline has become so common tht it is not news anymore. Hamas reason for being is revenge against the Jews occupying Israel. They take offense tht Israel defends itself against their terror.

Al Qaeda claims it bombed UN headquarters Al Qaeda says it blew up the UN headquarters and turned off the lights in the north east US. "A statement attributed to Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the explosion of the UN headquarters in Baghdad last week, saying the operation was a 'lesson to the U.S.' The communiqué, which was signed by the Abi Hafs Al Masri brigades - the same party that claimed responsibility for the power failure in New York and Toronto - used the same terms that Al Qaeda is in the habit of using." The group said, "UN is one of the branches of the U.S. State Department, taking the cover of an alleged international organization." ..."the UN is the mean stick which the U.S. uses to admonish those who deviate from its policy towards other countries, especially when it concerns Jewish-American security; so it accuses Palestine of terrorism and describes the criminal Jews as the poor victims. America is Islam's first ...

France says "no evidence Hamas and Islamic Jihad are terrorist organizations" France tells Israel they do not want to place Hamas and Islamic Jihad on terror list. "...French President Jacques Chirac, Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, told the Israeli ambassador in France, Nissim Zvilli, during a weekend meeting, that there is no evidence that these two organizations are 'terror groups.'" Let's see, How about claims of responsibility for terro attacks on buses and Pizza shops?

It's the Americans' fault... Mark Steyn: "...It's the Americans' fault because: "a) They made Iraq so insecure their own troops are getting picked off every day; "b) OK, fewer are being picked off than a few weeks back, but that's only because the Americans have made their own bases so secure that only soft targets like the UN are left; "c) OK, the UN's a soft target only because they turned down American protection, but the Americans should have had enough sense just to go ahead and install the concrete barriers and perimeter trenches anyway; "d) OK, if they'd done that, the beloved UN would have been further compromised by unduly close association with the hated Americans, which is probably what got them killed in the first place. "In other words, whatever happens, it's always evidence of American failure. That's the only 'root cause' most of the West is interested in. Anyone who thinks T...

Patriot Act defended Heather MacDonald takes on the critcs of the Patriot Act. "The recent indictment of a would-be arms merchant connected to al Qaeda is only the latest reminder that the threat of terrorism is as urgent as ever. Yet many among the political and opinion elites act as if America is more at risk from the Bush administration's efforts to thwart future terror attacks than from the attackers themselves. Hardly a day passes without a well-publicized denunciation of the government's alleged assault on civil liberties. Cities and counties across the country are declaring themselves "civil liberties safe zones," and a barrage of bills in Congress seeks to repeal sections of the USA Patriot Act, the anti-terrorism law passed after 9/11, on the ground that it violates constitutional rights." "...Critics of the administration also decry the Patriot Act's provision for delaying notice of a search -- the so-called 'sneak-and-peak...

Bombay bombing Bombs in Bombay killed 40 people. How long will it take Democrats to blame this act on the Bush administration, rather thant he terrorist?

Oops "We are convinced that the leadership of the United States will be able to gain the support of the Untied [sic] Nations and our allies in NATO for a genuine international effort to rebuild and stabilize Iraq." — Letter to President Bush from Sens. Joseph R. Biden, Delaware Democrat, and Chuck Hagel, Nebraska Republican.

Terror's battlefield Iraq is the place where the US will do battle with the terrorist who hate us. "From the point of view of the al Qaeda types, this is a pretty important battlefield for them," said L. Paul Bremer. "...Mr. Bremer also said Iraq would be the logical arena for international terrorists to gather and make a stand. "It's a plausible argument, because the terrorists hate everything that we stand for, the United States, and they hate the vision we have for Iraq, because the vision we have for Iraq is fundamentally threatening to the terrorists' vision," Mr. Bremer said. "I suppose they could calculate that if we can succeed in Iraq, it will change the entire structure of this area of the world. And so it certainly is attracting a lot of them here, and it shows what the stakes are for all Americans. We've got to win this fight here," Mr. Bremer said.

The left thinks the US is a police state Robert Bork takes on the ACLU and the others atacking the administration and the Patriot Act. "...As it happens, "phantoms of lost liberty" is a perfectly apt description for much of the commentary that has been offered on the administration's initiatives. It is demonstrably true, moreover, that people who recklessly exaggerate the threat to our liberties in the fight against terrorism do give ammunition, moral and otherwise, to our enemies. Asserting as much does not impugn the loyalty of such people. They are perfectly free to say what they think, and as loudly as they please. But neither should they themselves be immune from criticism, even by a government official."

More troops bandwagon Several Senators want more troops in Iraq. To do hat is nto clear. Unlike Vietnam, in Iraq, the commanders on the ground do not think they need additional troops. Indeed, the so called resistance is avoiding attacks on US forces now in favor of attacks on infrastructure targets. The best way to protect these targets is not with US troops but with Iraqi militia/police. In a guerilla war, you defeat it by making it impossible for guerilla units to manuever without being captured or killed. At this point these units are being captured and killed even when not maoving. While someone will ocassionally pop off a rocket propelled grenade. the so called Iraqwi resistance is incapable of manuevering in combat size units. In Vietnam, the US was fighting regimental and division sia=ze units in some battles. In Iraq, the enemy cannot muster a saquad size unit. The fact that they have resorted to terrorist attacks shows how impotent they are. Major comb...

Communism, the driving force behind mass murder in russia Killing was easier than persuading. This is not surprising since communism goes against man's basic instincts. "...Historians believe that as many as 20 million people were executed without trial or perished in the labor camps of the Soviet gulag. In 1937-38, at the height of the purges, as many as 40,000 residents of St. Petersburg, then called Leningrad, were put to death." "...They killed them effortlessly, in the signature style of Josef Stalin's dreaded NKVD secret police: a bullet to the back of the skull, the bullet's exit shattering the facial bones. "Then, haphazardly, the executioners buried their victims in mass graves, barely disguising their remains under a foot of sagging, sandy soil - year after year, body after broken body."

The big one Tom Friedman says the terrrorist are coming to Baghdad because they know if the US succceeds, they have lost everywhere. "In the wake of the bombing of the U.N. office in Baghdad, some "terrorism experts" (By the way, how do you get to be a terrorism expert? Can you get a B.A. in terrorism or do you just have to appear on Fox News?) have argued that the U.S. invasion of Iraq is a failure because all it's doing is attracting terrorists to Iraq and generating more hatred toward America. "I have no doubt that the U.S. presence in Iraq is attracting all sorts of terrorists and Islamists to oppose the U.S. I also have no doubt that politicians and intellectuals in the nearby Arab states are rooting against America in Iraq because they want Arabs and the world to believe that the corrupt autocracies that have so long dominated Arab life, and failed to deliver for their people, are the best anyone can hope for. "But I totally disagree tha...

Six groups in US believed affiliated with al Qaeda Supporters of Osama bin Laden are being watched by law enforcemnt in the US. "...Most of the individuals whose movements and communications are being closely tracked are believed to be sympathizers of Osama bin Laden who may be engaged in low-level support activities for the Qaeda terror network, like raising money, relaying messages and recruiting new members, American and European officials said. The officials insisted that no evidence had emerged that any of the suspects were preparing an attack or posed any imminent threat." "...American officials said they had been assisted in detecting the Qaeda followers by the nearly two-year-old USA Patriot Act, and changes in May 2002 to the attorney general guidelines, which permit the monitoring of mosques and Internet chat rooms and other aggressive investigative techniques. "The officials said that some people with apparent connections to the Qaeda networ...

Taliban attack more police stations The battle of police stations continues in Afghanistan. Taliban raiding parties from Pakistan are hitting police stations killing or kidnapping the police. One attack had up to 200 taliban fighters. With this pattern the US and the Afghanistan government need to set up ambushes to kill or capture the raiders. The Paks are also going to have to go after these guys.

Saudi report Strategy Page analyzes al Qaeda's war with Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia’s government has been engaged in a bloody, bitter war with Al Qaeda since 9-11, with efforts intensifying over the last few months. The conflict has taken against a back drop of confusing kaleidoscope of circumstances, divided loyalties, innuendoes, suspicions and misunderstandings. "Ever since Al Qaeda terrorists, a majority of them Saudis, hijacked four aircraft and flew them into buildings in New York and Washington, Saudi security forces, acting under the broad ranging instructions of the increasingly resolute Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, have arrested hundreds, if not thousands of suspected militants, sympathizers and persons believed to have ties to Al Qaeda. "Saudi investigators reportedly uncovered plots by the Al Qaeda network to initiate a series of major terrorist attacks, primarily in Riyadh, to coincide with the war in Iraq. Saudi intelligence had a...

Phase Three Victor Davis Hanson discusses the desparation of the islamofascist. "...We are indeed entering a third phase. But it is not quite what most people think, since it has brought a brutal clarity to the conflict that the terrorists may not have intended. For those who were still unsure of the affinities between the West Bank killers once subsidized by Saddam, Baathist fedeyeen, the Taliban, and al Qaedist terrorists, the similarity in method, the identical blood-curling rhetoric, and the eerie timing of slaughtering during peace negotiations and efforts at civil reconstruction should establish the existence of a common enemy. It has been fighting us all along — a general fascism, now theocratic, now autocratic, that seeks to divert the Middle East from the forces of modernization and liberalization. "Contrary to the latest round of punditry, the liberation of Iraq did not stir up a hornet's nest nor create ex nihilo these terrible alliances. No, they ar...

August 21, 2003

Kelly told friend Gilligan report was bull.... Dr. Kelly did not have a high regard for Andrew Gilligan's BBC report on the Iraqi WMD dossier. "David Kelly told a Sunday Times journalist that Andrew Gilligan's report on the Today programme was "bullshit" and said he had been 'put through the wringer' by the Ministry of Defence over the affair." "I talked to him about factual stuff, the rest is bullshit." Kelly said. "Dr Kelly described the dossier as 'factual and credible.'"

August 21, 2003

Chemical Ali captured The man who ordered the gassing of the Kurds has been captured in Iraq. "Coalition troops in Iraq have captured one of Saddam Hussein's top generals, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as 'Chemical Ali,' US Central Command has confirmed. "The US military said al-Majid - number five on the United States' list of the 55 most wanted Iraqis - was in custody of coalition forces...."

August 21, 2003

North Korea cannot win Jim Dunnigan in an interview with South Korean television: "...Who will win another Korean War? Well, the North Koreans can't win. They have no allies and despite having more troops (1.1 million to 600,000), tanks (3600 to 2200) and artillery (12,000 to 5,000), they were doing the attacking and were at a disadvantage in the quality department. The defender has huge advantages in Korea, where the 250 kilometer DMZ is heavily fortified in depth. The South Koreans are better trained and have had more combat experience in the last fifty years. The northerners disadvantages will add up to a very low probability of success. A future war is the southerners to lose. "What advantages does South Korea have? The major ones are quality, lots of it. South Korean weapons and equipment are two or three generations more modern than what the north has. Moreover, a decade of economic decline have reduced training in the north. The north does not have the ...

Iraq the martyr maker A NY times op-ed claims the US dreated a terrorist haven in Iraq, where there was not one before. It is not surprising tht the NY Times editorial page would continue to be ignorant of Iraq's terror connections before the war. Also before the war to liberate Iraq, critics complained that the US victory in Afghanistan had made it more difficult to track islamist terorist because they had been scattered. It turns out now tht they are congregating in Iraq where the US has a significant number of troops to deal with them. Maureen Dowd on the same editorial page claims that Iraq has become a magnet for evil. One can only hope she is right on that point although she would never recognize the value of the point. It is a good thing that the people who want to destroy the US are coming to Iraq to bump up against the US military. It makes it easier to find them and destroy them. Before they started coming into the Iraq honey trap, they were scattered...

Arab press condemns UN bombing Arab papers condemned the bombing of the Un headquarters. There was no sympathy for the perpetraitors, or their mission what ever the objective. "...The attack against the UN HQ is an absurd atrocity perpetrated in the name of the opposition against foreign occupation and which caused several victims even among Iraqi citizens and foreign employees who were there to help the ill-fated Iraqis... It is unlikely that those who perpetrated this act against the UN HQ had any political aims such as a revenge against the UN for its role in Iraq... Those who perpetrated this act simply want to cause chaos and insecurity." Akhbar al-Arab - UAE

EU sounds retreat The bombing of the UN compounds has frightened EU representatives into leaving Baghdad. "That mission has been disbanded for the moment. They're trying to get out as soon as they can," said the spokesman, adding that three staff for the EU's humanitarian aid office will remain in Baghdad "for the time being."

PA breaks contacts with terror groups The Palestinian Authority responded to yesterdays murders on an Israeli bus by halting contact with militant groups and arresting those they say are responsible for the attacks. "'Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas gave instructions to security forces to take appropriate measures against those who dispatched the perpetrators of last night's attack,' Elias Zananiri, a spokesman for Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan, said in a telephone interview from the West Bank." The only way to stop the murders is to destroy the murderous organizations. That is also the only way the Palestinians will ever have a state.

Acts of impotence The attacks in Iraq and Israel are the desperate acts of impotent losers. Ralph Peters says, "THE first strategy employed by Iraqi dead- enders and their terror- tourist allies failed miserably: They attacked U.S. forces head-on - and paid a bitter price. With their comrades killed, wounded or captured, their leaders apprehended (another one yesterday), their bases of support whittled away and U.S. resolve only hardened, our enemies have turned to a new, desperate strategy. "Over the past several days, the Iraqi hardliners and their terrorist allies attacked an oil pipeline and a water main. Yesterday, a terrorist drove a truck bomb into the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, killing dozens and wounding more than 100 people. "Our enemies' initial 'Mogadishu Strategy' - based on the faulty notion that if you kill Americans they pack up and go home - was a disaster for them. Our response devastated their already-crippled organizat...

August 19, 2003

The Islamist offensive Al Qaeda tapes have been claiming tht new attacks were coming. Shortly after al Zawaheri made his latest posturing to a tape recorder, al Qaeda affiliates made an attack on a hotel lobby in Indonesia. Recently elements of the Taliban have been attacking police stations in Afghanistan, while bombers in Iraq have been targeting infrastructure. Today a cement truck loaded with explosives blew up another hotel in Baghdad. Also today a human bomb exploded on an Israeli bus murdering several people including children. As tragic as these deaths are, for an offensive, it is pretty lame. Militarily the attacks are insignificant. Politically, time will tell whether Democrats in the US will be routed by a weak islamist offensive. In the menatime, significant progress has been made against the Islamist and the Iraqi Baathist. Saddam's vice president Ramadan has been captured in Iraq. Suspects have been named the the battle of the hotel lobby in J...

August 19, 2003

Iraqis and freedom There have been a few articles recently suggesting that Iraqis may not be ready for freedom. These articles focus on the apparent complacency of many Iraqis as well as their lack of initative. The problem with this analysis is that it does not take into account the nature of Saddam's rule. He combined socialism with sadism that required a submissive personality to survive. Those who were not submissive either fled Iraq or were tortured or killed. The relationship between the govenment and the governed was based on BDSM--bondage, disipline, sadeo-masicism. When a submissive loses their dominant, they are initially lost and unable to function. They have been conditioned with punishment if they showed initiative in the pass. It will take some time to overcome the inertia of the submissive society created by Saddams sadism. Al Qaeda makes war against another hotel lobby? The attack on the hotel in Baghdad where UN staffers operated has some...

The BBC reporting about itself "The premise on which our coverage is based is that we never said Andrew Gilligan's story was true. We just said that it was important and worth broadcasting." Really. Did they ever consider that if it were not true, it was not important enough to make the news?

North Korea's suttle diplomacy When everyone is against you lash out. That is the North Korean strategy before the upcoming meeting with the US, Japan, Russia, and China. "Amid signs of growing diplomatic and military isolation, North Korea lashed out at the United States, South Korea and Japan today, barely a week before the scheduled start of international talks on North Korea's nuclear program. "Russia, traditionally an ally of North Korea, embarked today on a 10-day maritime exercise, partly in waters near North Korea, that will involve two traditional enemies of the North, Japan and South Korea. The exercise is the first time that warships from those three countries have conducted joint maneuvers." "...North Korea, in response to this effort to isolate it ahead of the talks scheduled from Aug. 27 to 29 in Beijing, blasted the United States today, attacking Washington for leading 10 other nations in the Proliferation Security Initiative, a...

What is al Qaeda Rand Corporation analyst discuss al Qaeda and bin Laden. "Hoffman: Al Qaeda is an ideology more than army; a transnational movement and umbrella-like organization, not a monolithic entity. Al Qaeda's strength has always been its ability to function on multiple operational levels. It uses professional terrorists, closely linked to the al Qaeda command and control nucleus, for spectacular, highly lucrative strikes such as 9/11, the 1998 embassy bombings, and the attack on the USS Cole, etc. in some instances. It uses affiliated or associated groups it has trained, armed or otherwise inspired such as the Jemmah Islamiya, the predominantly Indonesian/Malayan/Filipino group, responsible for the October 2002 Bali bombings or the Sudanese group al Ittihad al Islamiya, which committed the attacks against Israeli targets the following month in Kenya. And it uses the so-called "local walk-ins"-- individuals or groups with no previous direct, demonstra...

Iraqis Turn on Baath Iraqis are taking over responsibility for policing their own. "The daily, and more often, nightly, American raids continue. Several dozen more Baath supporters or foreign Islamic radicals are arrested or killed. These raids are unnerving to the Baath party groups, as is the armed resistance when the Sunni Arab Baath tries to operate outside their traditional areas."

Hizballah threatens more kidnapping Terrorist from Hizballah made threats of more kidnappings during negotiations for releasing their current victims. "Hizbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah expects negotiations soon on a prisoner swap with Israel but said the guerrilla group was serious in its threat to kidnap more Israeli soldiers if talks fail, according to a newspaper report on Monday. Tension has surged between Israel and the Shi'ite Muslim group since Nasrallah threatened late last month to capture more Israelis unless there was a breakthrough in stalled talks."

Bush critics and the politics of fraud Spinsanity takes on the distortions of the Bush critics. "In several recent cases, prominent liberal figures have resorted to rhetorical extremes and factual deception to attack conservatives and the Bush administration." Read it all.

Al Qada tied to attacks in Saudi Arabia A letter from Osama bin Laden found on a dead attacker and a phone call from his son tie the atacks in Saudi Arabia to al Qaeda. This raises the question of how Saad bin Laden can make phone calls to cells in Saudi Arabia if he is in custody in Iran? Is he in custody or in a safe house? "...Two days before the bombings, which killed 34 persons, including nine Americans and two Britons, Saad bin Laden made a telephone call from somewhere in Iran to a member of the same al Qaeda gang, according to a high-ranking Western diplomat who spoke on the condition that he not be identified." "...Investigators, meanwhile, have disclosed that British Airways (BA) halted flights to the kingdom last week after Saudi authorities learned of a plot to shoot down one of its planes with a missile. The scheme is believed to have been the work of the same wide network, directed by Osama bin Laden and other close associates, including Saad...

Psyops brings out "Zsa-Zsa" Saddam US forces are superimposing Hollywood images over Saddam on posters used to taunt him and bring out his followers who seemed to act irrationally when prevoked by insults. "...In one called 'Zsa Zsa Saddam', he has his head tossed back, his blonde locks flowing and a filter-tipped cigarette dangling coquettishly between his delicate fingers." "...In a campaign starting this week, US forces plan to put up the posters around Saddam's home town of Tikrit. "As well as Saddam dolled up as a slinky Zsa Zsa Gabor, there is a busty Rita Hayworth Saddam, a grooving Elvis Saddam and even Saddam in the guise of British-born rocker Billy Idol." "Most of the locals will love 'em and they'll be laughing. But the bad guys are going to be upset, which will just make it easier for us to know who they are," said Lt. Col. Steven Russell. "...The gambit is part of a game of cat-and-m...

US troops find bomb making facility Acting on a tip from Iraqis US troops seized bomb making equipment in a raid near Tikrit.

Iran foils al Qaeda attacks? Iran claimed tht it had stopped planned attacks by al Qaeda within Iran. This may just be more misinformation from this horrible regime. The Iranians will not say what was to be attacked or whether anyone was arrested.

Saddamites switch to targets that do not shoot back Tae latest attacks in Iraq are against infrastructure such as oil and water pipelines. Attacks have also been made on prisoners for reasons not obvious. What is apparent is that the cost of attacking US forces is taking its toll on the "guerillas." The problem with this type of attack is that it will further alienate Iraqis from the Baathist atackers.

Arabs keep digging Amir Tahiri takes on Arab rejectionism. "EVER since the latest phase of the Iraqi crisis started last autumn, most Arab countries have found themselves in a hole. What is surprising is that they continue to dig, making the hole deeper. The Arabs' initial predicament was understandable. Until the last minute they did not believe that the United States would invade. They hoped that the whole thing would blow over. One Arab leader described the crisis as "a summer storm." "At the end of January, Amr Moussa, the Arab League Secretary General, told me during a dinner in Davos, that he was 'absolutely sure' there would be no war. When asked why, he said: 'Something will come up!' "Well, what came up was the U.S.-led invasion. The Arabs had developed no policy to prevent it or, when it happened, to influence its course. "More than three months after the fall of the Ba'athist regime, there has been n...