Running Out the Clock
If you want to study the social and political
history of modern nations, study hell
--Thomas Merton
The United States today finds itself with
too much war and too few warriors
--Andrew J. Bacevich,
"The Next President Will Disappoint You"
I went down to the bank this mornin', 'bout half past nine.
Well, I was lookin' for a little somethin' in the credit line.
But the man said: "Look, what we got here, sonny:
"There's too much month at the end of the money"
--Too Much Month, Marty Stuart
____________
Ranger Question of the Day:
Why does everyone assume Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan?
Why not Saudi Arabia?
_____________
history of modern nations, study hell
--Thomas Merton
The United States today finds itself with
too much war and too few warriors
--Andrew J. Bacevich,
"The Next President Will Disappoint You"
I went down to the bank this mornin', 'bout half past nine.
Well, I was lookin' for a little somethin' in the credit line.
But the man said: "Look, what we got here, sonny:
"There's too much month at the end of the money"
--Too Much Month, Marty Stuart
____________
Ranger Question of the Day:
Why does everyone assume Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan?
Why not Saudi Arabia?
_____________
In previous post Daddy Dearest, Ranger posited that the easiest way to disrupt terrorist networks is to foment discord within the ranks, thereby fragmenting their cohesion.
But what if al-Qaeda is the one exception to the rule, and classic attacks like disrupting money conduits and encouraging internal dissent will not work. What then?
Has anyone ever asked them what they want? Did anyone ask Khalid Sheik Mohammed in questioning what was his mission statement? "What were you trying to achieve?"
Did anyone offer them a forum, like a one-page New York Times ad? A professional You Tube? A microblog? Surely al-Qaeda is not so stupid as to espouse a "long war" strategy, are they?
What is their idea of success?
Labels: disruption of terrorist networks, george bush or osama bin laden, obl
posted by rangeragainstwar at 3:13 PM
16 Comments:
i seriously doubt that the al-qaeda folks have gotten that far.
in "the looming tower" there is a great deconstruction of their formation. a lot of the time even calling it an organization stretches the boundries of definition.
this much is certain. the core of the structure was forged in the torture chambers of egypt. they took a young doctor, then they tortured him into an angry and violent revolutionary.
our own torture chambers are making certain that he has many young, angry followers.
our policy of invasion and occupation of muslim nations ensures that they will have a stable recruiting base for their future.
what do they want? i imagine that the answer given by the marlon brando character in "the wild one" will suffice.
mildred: what're you rebelling against, johnny?
johnny: whaddya got?
what do they want?
whaddya got?
believe it or not, they are kinda old fashion.... they want territorial dominion for Islam.... they want a Caliphate.
but it's actually not going too well, because, as terrorists and occupying forces often do, they are alienating some, maybe most, of the people they are trying to win-over.....
Good article:
Two decades after al-Qaeda was founded in the Pakistani border city of Peshawar by Osama bin Laden and a handful of veterans of the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan, the group is more famous and feared than ever. But its grand project -- to transform the Muslim world into a militant Islamist caliphate -- has been, by any measure, a resounding failure.
In large part, that's because Osama bin Laden's strategy for arriving at this Promised Land is a fantasy. Al-Qaeda's leader prides himself on being a big-think strategist, but for all his brains, leadership skills and charisma, he has fastened on an overall strategy that is self-defeating........
Bin Laden's main goal is to bring about regime change in the Middle East and to replace the governments in Cairo and Riyadh with Taliban-style theocracies. He believes that the way to accomplish this is to attack the "far enemy" (the United States), then watch as the supposedly impious, U.S.-backed Muslim regimes he calls the "near enemy" crumble.
sharif don't like it.......
Ranger Question of the Day:
Why does everyone assume Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan?
Why not Saudi Arabia?
Osama has many ideologically similar friends in Pakistan. I think he's kicking back in an air-conditioned suite in Peshawar, drinking black tea and chewing on a lamb ke-bab. I doubt he's in Saudi Arabia (unless it's to direct an attack); it is my understanding that he holds no truck with the Kingdom of al-Saud since they jumped into the oil pool with the Bush Family. He's a fairly young man (about 51 or 52) and I think he still has a lot of grit and determination left in him. The continued presence of U.S. Troops or ANYTHING American in Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia will only continue to draw the ire, hatred and contention of Osama bin Laden and those of his ilk...there is no "American Solution" for Persia's cancers, they'll have to cure themselves.
From The Existentialist Cowboy:
BBC Censored Benazir Bhutto's Reports that Bin Laden Had Been Murdered
And from Newshounds (We watch FOX so you don't have to.): "FOX News & Other Media Outlets Ignore Benazir Bhutto's Claim That Osama bin Laden Is Dead."
Maybe THAT'S why they bumped her off.
Peter,
I have a warm place in my heart for conspiracy theory. In an untruthful world, they often suffice for logic. Sometimes, they are even true.
Certainly, if OBL and Co. were knocked off, the party would be over. The fact that we let him leave Tora Bora back when is suspicious. . .
Mad Celt,
We have to go back to square one. All your cmts are made on the assumption that what you read is true AND i don't accept this . What if OBL is actually a agent or arm of Saudi intell? Would not the legend then be what you read.There is more than meets the eye here- both fund wise and operationally. I will not believe OBL is so successful in evading capture without official support of a gov't. At this point i even question his association with the CIA- pls don't tell me wwe can't find a lone target anywhere in the world.
I do not accept the assumptions of your position. jim
MB, maybe we should start looking at guys on motorcycles. jim
I'll share a secret thought of mine, which I've always hinted at but never spoke, or wrote.
What if our dear leader, in conjunction with his dear friend in Saudi Arabia, decided that after 9/11 they both would benefit politically and finacially by ensuring that the chase for OBL would never end.
It would allow the Sauds to manipulate the finances of oil, while still being "victims" of OBL's predations, and it would allow Bush the carte blanche to act as "War President" with a permissive attituded of dismissing those parts of the US Constitution which would limit his grab for power.
Like I said, it's something I'm thinking, because I know that if OBL were captured, along with his sidekick that the cause celebre for Bush's presidency would come to a crashing end, and so to his grab for power.
Of course, then again, I wonder to about that grab for political power and think, "perhaps Bush is just the first pawn move in a chess game of constitutional manuevers to increase the power of the presidency."
But I will speak, or write no more of this.
Sheerahkan, That's exactly my point. I just don't buy the official legend of OBL- nor do i accept that of Oswald or Ruby.
It's all just a little too pat/cut and apparently dried. jim ps . i'm even afraid to say these things b/c i'll be branded a conspiracy wing nut. BUTONE MUST LOOK AT ALL ASPECTS OF PRESUMED FACTS. jim
OBL is the boogeyman that keeps the neocons going. They trot him out every time support for the PWOT seems to be waning. They never even tried to get him. Just needed him to be the catalyst that led to the invasion of Iraq.
Ranger...I'd have to agree with you to disagree with myself. The only thing I know of a certain, is that these wars reduce us to monkey fighting monkey fighting monkey over pieces of dirt...with nothing but blood, pain and death for reward.
Mad Celt ,
I felt it my duty to point this out to a school trained and mos qualified MI type.How easily you forget your lessons- i won't let you take any more breaks. jim
Well, we should get to see "OBL" any time soon now. After all, we do have an election coming up.
Peter,
My confidential sources tell me that OBL is gonna be a speaker at the Republican convention. His topic is -What America means to me. jim
Psst, Jim..newsflash! OBL is gonna get bumped off the GOP podium for news of Gustav pillaging poor New Orleans again, meaning Bush will get a twofer in fucking it up.
I honestly don't know if the man is even alive, but I know the Bushies sure WANT him alive as the reason to go on militantly foaming and thrashing about.
ALQAEDA or Al "CIA"-DA?
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