Would it have been too much to ask to have this published on one of the other six days of the week?
Senior leaders of Al Qaeda operating from Pakistan have re-established significant control over their once-battered worldwide terror network and over the past year have set up a band of training camps in the tribal regions near the Afghan border, according to American intelligence and counterterrorism officials. American officials said there was mounting evidence that Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, had been steadily building an operations hub in the mountainous Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan. Until recently, the Bush administration had described Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahri as detached from their followers and cut off from operational control of Al Qaeda.This is great. No coffee yet in my system and I learn that much of the war on terror has been a flop. Hooray.
Next thing I suppose they will throw at me is news that the NBA all-star game was not competitive and the players basically did a walk-through.
Comments
Gordo - February 19, 2007 10:09 AM
C'mon, Al. The "war on terror" has been a flop for four years. This news was just inevitable.
ry - February 19, 2007 9:00 PM
(self censoring. Just imagine what you thought I'd say. Then be more kind.)
Alan - February 19, 2007 9:04 PM
What - you thought the all-star game was good?
ry - February 19, 2007 9:08 PM
I don't pay attention to the NBA much anymore. I look at box scores. I'll watch ten minutes now and again during a season. Just to remind myself of what I'm not missing.
There's lots to say on the other issue. Lots. But it wouldn't be productive. Thank the Lord for Canada and Aus. And we'll leave it at that.
gorthos - February 19, 2007 11:35 PM
Well, I'll jump in. I have read all Tom Clancy books, seen all the movies and playes all Rainbow Six games.. If I can save the world and eliminate all the tangos WORLDWIDE while drinking beer, in my LIVINGROOM.. I have no idea why everyone else has been slacking so much in the Pentagon. Must be some sort of conspiracy.
ry - February 20, 2007 12:40 AM
"Must be some sort of conspiracy"
Sigh.
Let's see. Afghan was in response for a direct attack on the US. Where's NATO? Really. It took them almost two years to give even minor committments and we blame the Pentagon? Oh yeah, we're really looking at this one objectively. If Afghanistan is going down the toilet its for one very major reason: this Global War on Terror is not being done very Globally.
In a time when every Western nations gov't talks about fighting terrorism most countries are continuing a downsizing of their military(the folding of regiments in Britain, along with the RN downsize, France ending the draft and downsizing,....) and contributing next to nothing to the actual hard part. They've voted with their actions that they're willing to accept the death of 30 people a year as the price for not rooting out the problem. THe US, Britain, Canada, AUS, and a handful of recovering from Stalinism, given the problems of counter-terrorism pertaining to manpower and other things like intel gathering and cutting of finances, isn't enough. Even if everything the US put into Iraq was in Afghan instead.
(Iraq is a whole other ratf#%$ and we'll leave that alone for now.)
So, let's just kick Rumsfeld one more time just 'cause it's such a delicious vice, yeah?
gorthos - February 20, 2007 10:40 AM
Well RY.. If you didn't note the sarcasm, perhaps I should write from now on in italics when I am not being serious, easier what? ;)
Why not downsize the military to a small national defence force? I mean, if you are a nation that is not exactly threatened by the tangos, why tick them off?
James Bow - February 20, 2007 12:15 PM
Well, this news does suggest that we may soon have something concrete to hit...
ry - February 21, 2007 12:31 AM
Ugh. Sorry Gorthos. I'm kinda stressed lately. My car is dead. Been walking around in about the same weather Al has. Including a blizzard. Not sure how much it'll cost to fix and when it'll be done. Rather annoying. That, and well, this is serious stuff on which I don't joke around on. Sorry. Here, how many quatloos or lunnies for a decent pint of draft? Sorry. Sorry.