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| Terror Networks & Islam |
| Tale of the tape |
| 2004-11-02 |
| Just a few weeks ago, America's finest intel agents and analysts believed they might be on the verge of a big breakthrough in the manhunt for the world's most-wanted terrorist. The net was closing on a Qaeda operative in Pakistan who, it was hoped, could lead them to Osama bin Laden. "It looked like we were really close, maybe one or two people away," one U.S. official told NEWSWEEK. "There was a lot of optimism around here." At the same time, in the lawless tribal territories close to the Afghan border, 30,000 Pakistani troops were tracking down any trace of Al Qaeda. Backed by jets and helicopter gunships, the Pakistanis had killed 246 of the enemy and lost 171 of their own. But after eight months of military operations, bin Laden was nowhere to be found. Back in Washington last week, the intel community could only sit back and watch a taunting videotape of their target acting like a TV anchor. Looking healthy and reading calmly from a script, bin Laden was far from the caricature of the cave-dwelling fugitive. "It was a psychological downer," the official said. "It's yet more evidence that we haven't been able to find him." The election was also weighing heavily on the minds of law-enforcement and intel officials protecting the homeland. In a round of teleconferences and meetings, national-security officials debated the bin Laden tape and decided not to ratchet up the national threat warning to orange—a politically fraught dilemma on the eve of an election. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #6 Oh Bulldog, Robert Fisk has now become a verb: To Fisk, and this just compounds it doesn't it? Imagine being described as neutral by O Bin Loser How must fiskie be feeling today? |
| Posted by: Anon1 2004-11-02 6:15:47 PM |
| #5 I'll buy that, Anon1. It also underlines his weakened position, too. No more arrogant bravado aimed at his own base - he knows his only hope now lies in staving off the US in its pursuit of him. He recognises that his fate and his future options rest on the decision of the US electorate today, and he no longer actually believes that it is he who is game master. Erstwhile MD, Global Jihad Inc.; now Robert Fisk's mate. Osama bin LLLoser! |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2004-11-02 4:08:22 PM |
| #4 sounds like, Lex. Don't forget the islamists carefully study the culture fractures in our society and one crack to hit before the election could be exactly that. They know the lefties all think that Bin Liner hit us because of global capitalism. So he makes out that he is not such a bad enemy, he is reasonable, he doesn't really want to hurt us, just vote Kerry and stop global capitalism. They are smart, he changes tactics to suit the situation. Another bloodthirsty tape will help Bush. Bin Liner wants Kerry to win. appeal to the kerry mentality? |
| Posted by: Anon1 2004-11-02 3:59:54 PM |
| #3 The tape strikes me as bogus. The style's completely off: banal OpEd prose laced with US pop culture references ("black gold"); and allusions to US "mega-corporations" (since when does anyone in the arab world distinguish between a corporation and a "mega-corporation"?); smart-alecky college-kid type insults ("and the loser is ... you") and dopey attempts at wit ("butting" goats and jetliners).... My money's on its having been outsourced to an American lefty hack. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-11-02 2:25:13 PM |
| #2 Puhleeeze. Even Walter Cronkite knows Binny is in Karl Rove's basement. |
| Posted by: Crikey 2004-11-02 2:03:07 PM |
| #1 Will Bush admit he has OBL in Crawford under the supervision of Rove? He has a few hours or Teresa is a liar! |
| Posted by: Karnak the Great 2004-11-02 10:40:54 AM |