Think Progress

Report: Al-Qaeda regains summer 2001 strength.

A new government threat assessment, obtained by the Associated Press, “has concluded that Al-Qaeda has rebuilt its operating capability to a level not seen since the summer of 2001.” The report says the terrorist network “has been able to rebuild despite nearly six years of bombings, war and other tactics aimed at crippling it.”

UPDATE: A fuller AP article, with more details, can be found here.



93 Responses to “Report: Al-Qaeda regains summer 2001 strength.”

  1. Ringo the Gringo says:

    Guess we better hurry up and loose in Afghanistan too.


  2. MsJoanne says:

    Heck of a job, Bush. Thanks for making us safer.

    Hope all the millions (or billions) you and your friends made is worth the moniker of the worst president in US history. That is a well deserved label. Congrats, you a$$hole!


  3. mongo says:

    Oh gee, time for an uptick in terror-alert level; timing’s a little early, though, I would have expected October ‘08.


  4. Zooey says:

    George W. Bush just a nice trophy for being “Al-Qaeda Recruiter of the Year.”


  5. War4Sale says:

    So much for the Republican party being “tough on defense.”

    The numbers speak for themselves.


  6. yep says:

    Shows how determined they are…hopefully we have the same determination to defeat them.


  7. FantasizingAboutHarrietMiers says:

    Well, look what your silly game with the supplemental funding bill led to.


  8. willyloman says:

    Deos that mean Bush has been giving “aid and comfort” to the enemy?


  9. stopthecons says:

    of course they have! These wars are creating plenty of fresh recruits and donors for their cause.

    Years and years of aggression, force and war should tell us that this kind of foreign policy doesn’t give the results the politicians promise us – it just makes us less safe.

    As long as American forces keep killing innocents, there will be more and more people who want to do the same here in the U.S.

    We need to stop this madness now.

    Some additional reading:

    “What Can We Do About Terrorism?”
    http://www.populistamerica.com/what_can_we_do_about_terrorism


  10. AngryOne says:

    On Saturday, Americans learned that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2005 cancelled a major U.S. raid into Pakistan designed to decapitate much of Al Qaeda’s senior leadership. Now, a new CIA assessment details the steep price the U.S. is paying for President Bush’s failure to enforce his mantra of “no safe havens.” U.S. intelligence analysts, the AP reports, have concluded Al Qaeda has “rebuilt its operating capability to a level not seen since just before the 2001 terrorist attacks.”

    This grim assessment, part of an upcoming National Intelligence Estimate to be discussed at a White House gathering Thursday, paints a picture of a resurgent Al Qaeda. Almost six years after the September 11 attacks, the study suggests a failing report card for a Bush administration distracted by the war in Iraq and unable to pressure the Musharraf government over Al Qaeda’s free reign in the northwest territories of Pakistan.

    For the disturbing details, see:
    “CIA: Resurgent Al Qaeda Now at Pre-9/11 Capability.”


  11. ddb says:

    Oh gee, time for an uptick in terror-alert level; timing’s a little early, though, I would have expected October ‘08.

    But just in time to distract the public from Sara Taylor’s testimony.


  12. Arthur C. says:

    AQ along Paki border has nothing to do with AQ in Iraq, dumbass.


  13. michael says:

    Hey Joe

    How can this be? Joe wouldn’t lie to us.


  14. Buck Fush says:

    Well Bush has been recruiting for Al-Qaeda for years. They are doing exactly what he wants them to do and he is doing exactly what they want him to do.


  15. Arthur C. says:

    Bush doesn’t care. It has no political implications for him personally.


  16. yep says:

    But just in time to distract the public from Sara Taylor’s testimony.

    Comment by ddb

    Because everybody in America is on the edge of their seat to hear that.


  17. Tom says:

    Guess we better hurry up and loose in Afghanistan too.

    Comment by Ringo the Gringo

    the neocons and Bush are working on that as we speak…Stay tuned; for its going to be a HOT summer.


  18. WaltinTexas says:

    This is what having a totally corrupt President and VP gets you. A country with policies to benefit the few at the expense of the many. Everything this administration has done has been a detriment to our country. Instead of eradicating those al Queda fanatics, they let them strengthen and grow. And there are some out there that actually still believe these guys are tough on terrorism. Bush/Cheney don’t give a damn about this nations national security. Profits for a chosen few is all that matters.


  19. Troll says:

    Shows what fertile breeding ground the hateful Ideology of Islam is.


  20. joe says:

    Thanks, Iraq hawks. Sure, you let Osama walk away at Tora Bora, but hey, if you hadn’t, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to make Iraq a more violent place for its residents and a greater threat to ourselves.

    I hope we have the determination to defeat them too, yep, but so far, the White House would rather draw out the catastrophe in Iraq than win in Afghanistan.

    That’s what comes of deluding yourself that your partisan beefs with the opposition are the same thing as fighting against terrorists – you come to see a defeat in a domestic political debate as more important than a defeat against enemy forces on the battlefield.

    The resurgance of the Taliban/al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan happened for the same reason that we won’t pull out of Iraq – because of the wounded pride and partisanship of “tough on defense Republicans.”


  21. PiP says:

    This is why we have to wipe them clean off the map!

    That way they can’t breed any more!


  22. michael says:

    I would love to see a Joe Leiberman and Michael Ware debate.


  23. Troll says:

    Comment by PiP — July 11, 2007 @ 7:14 pm

    Pulling out will accomplish that. And I dont mean in a sexual sense but that would work too.


  24. CT_V1 says:

    Time to wipe MooselimSh**teaters off the map despite democrud “civil liberty” concerns.

    Demmies, move out the way!


  25. PiP says:

    Comment by Troll — July 11, 2007 @ 7:17 pm

    I disagree. One group will win, then we need to go in and wipe them out.


  26. dumbstruck says:

    I had a “gut feeling” this announcement would come soon.


  27. Troll says:

    Pip,
    I dont think so. Iran is already in Iraq and the Saudis have made it pretty clear that if we leave they will not allow Iranian control so we have the beginning of a potentially massive pan-muslim war. Millions upon millions slaughtered. All in the name of Allah.


  28. leporello says:

    $12 billion dollars a month for Iraq. I’m not sure if that includes Afghanistan, but that’s Real money. Mission Acomplished! Osama bin Laden allowed to escape. Middle East in perpetual turmoil, yup, George W’s track record is unblemished. Many golden opportunities, all memorable failures. Why don’t we build yet another nucular aircraft carrier? Nothing beats terrorist cells like nucular aircraft carriers! That will make more sense that the fiasco in Iraqnam!
    Impeach Bush and Cheney and Save the Constitution!


  29. Troll says:

    Oh and the bonus.
    The Republicans will be able to blame it on the Dems who forced us out.


  30. PiP says:

    Troll,

    But someone will be left after all is said and done, then they will start acting stupid in the name of Allah, just like all the others.

    I say we wipe ‘em all out.


  31. Troll says:

    PiP

    We may have some mopping out to do if they dont nuke each other. But this way is politically much easier. Let them kill each other and do our dirty work.


  32. Tracy says:

    Yeah, Europe sure hasn’t done much to help….

    “The group also has created “the most robust training program since 2001, with an interest in using European operatives,” the official quoted the report as saying.”


  33. nuQler ostrich says:

    Anybody who took a good honest look at Bush Jr.’s achievements, even before he ran for Governor of Texas, could see that everything he ever touched turned to crap.

    His job as Preznit hasn’t been any different.

    At least he’s consistent.


  34. marlow says:

    Wow! whoda thunkit? I thought we showed Osama a thing or two, what with letting him WALK AWAY from Tora Bora into Pakistan.


  35. JPV says:

    I see that the War on Terraâ„¢ has been a total success.


  36. sarah shrub says:

    When the terrorists murder the bush and cheney families all will once again be right with the world. I do not condone this but wouldn’t be sad to see it happen either.


  37. Susie says:

  38. PiP says:

    Comment by Troll — July 11, 2007 @ 7:30 pm

    Agreed.


  39. lonesomerobot says:

    let’s see:

    -didn’t finish the job in afghanistan.

    -gave pakistan and saudi arabia a free pass (and lots of money) while cultivating the myth that all muslims are terrorists.

    -tried to use the maggie “iron balls” thatcher approach of picking an easy war to win in order to raise nationalistic fervor to allow cover for a series of power grabs, but failed miserably — because iraq is no falkland islands — and in doing so took their eye completely off the ball.

    and all the while had intellectual midgets like flaco, tracy, ct_v1, pip, m12, darryl, etc, cheering them on.

    yes, these are the republican accomplishments of the last 6 years.

    but, oh — that’s right — they’re the “daddy” party to whom our national security should be entrusted.

    nobody deserves a father this obviously not up to the job.


  40. Damian says:

    #27, LOL. Heckofa job, Chimpy!!!


  41. Vance says:

    #40….More like the Dead- beat daddy party.


  42. Elliott says:

    Bush should have been in Afghanistan to offer that “fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here” hoo-hah.


  43. Eric says:

    Think Progress……….oh goodie!!!!! Al Qaeda is getting stronger…..you must be so happy!


  44. 26 Percenter says:

    We gotta fite ‘em over there so they won’t follow us home


  45. Elliott says:

    Think Progress……….oh goodie!!!!! Al Qaeda is getting stronger…..you must be so happy!

    Comment by Eric

    Nowhere near as happy as your Republican apologees, who can now offer some lame justification for continued payouts to preferred contractors.


  46. Republicans Can't Govern. says:

    George Bush was later overheard telling Dick Cheney, “Who gives a rat’s a$$? I got mine. You got yours. We’ll both leave office with more money than we can ever spend and no terrorist will ever affect our lives or the lives of our rich children. The ‘little people’ can suck on it. Hahaha!”


  47. Troll says:

    Who cares humans have lived a hell of a lot worse than we “little people” do for tens of thousands of years. Let them get theirs. I choose not to play the envy game and am very happy.


  48. Katie says:

    That’s because we have been an al Qaeda recruiting machine. We have made them so many new al Qaeda, they don’t know what to do with all the new recruits.

    I feel ever so much safer now that Bush has emboldened al Qaeda. Good work George.


  49. Troll says:

    So in your opinion the increase has nothing to do with Islam just Bush.

    How did they ever recruit before GWB.


  50. Tweedster says:

    Who cares humans have lived a hell of a lot worse than we “little people” do for tens of thousands of years. Let them get theirs. I choose not to play the envy game and am very happy.

    comment by Troll

    Huh? The duty of PUBLIC officials is NOT to GET THEIRS. Whaddamaroon…


  51. toasterhead says:

    So in your opinion the increase has nothing to do with Islam just Bush.

    How did they ever recruit before GWB.

    Comment by Troll — July 11, 2007 @ 8:20 pm

    Yup! What’s changed in Islam in the last five years that would prompt this increase in al-Qa’ida’s strength?


  52. Troll says:

    Tweed
    They are all corrupt. We feed the gov we deserve what we get.


  53. Mr. President says:

    bwahahaha! I love Mr Bush and want to kiss him all over and fondle his nice hard body. I love Mr Cheney too, but thinking of his body make me want to puke.


  54. Tweedster says:

    So in your opinion the increase has nothing to do with Islam just Bush.

    comment by Troll

    Nice try! How do you make these leaps in logic without feeling ridiculous?

    1) Name the last religious war that was won

    2) What has Bush DONE through POLICY or ACTION to curb radical Islam? Retreaded the whole “no attacks on our soil” routine, since on the whole radical Islam is more of a threat NOW than EVER.

    Can you answer those? I’d love to know how you think.


  55. Troll says:

    I was addressing Katie but it seems she was unable to retort.

    “Yup! What’s changed in Islam in the last five years that would prompt this increase in al-Qa’ida’s strength?”

    Nothing it was an evil hatefull ideology that recruited well before and its the same now. Bush may have stirred things up but you dont see too many “Friends” blowing themselves up over the inhumnity of it all do you?


  56. Tweedster says:

    They are all corrupt. We feed the gov we deserve what we get.

    Comment by Troll — July 11, 2007 @ 8:26 pm

    Soooo…why are you even posting here?

    Do children deserve to have their education system gutted?

    Do our brave soldiers coming home deserve to have their VA benefits cut?

    What is your point?


  57. Tweedster says:

    Bush may have stirred things up but you dont see too many “Friends” blowing themselves up over the inhumnity of it all do you?

    Comment by Troll — July 11, 2007 @ 8:31 pm

    Huh? Friends? Like Chandler or Lisa?

    What are you even trying to get across aside from the fact you hate Islam?


  58. WaltTheMan says:

    So in your opinion the increase has nothing to do with Islam just Bush.

    How did they ever recruit before GWB.

    Comment by Troll — July 11, 2007 @ 8:20 pm

    It was touch and go up til November, 2001 (Afghanistan) – after that AQ was hauling in recruits by the hundreds. Iraq put the frosting on the cake when the recruitment rate went into the thousands. Right now an AQ Jihad is frothing in Pakistan. AQ will number in the millions unless W and his asylum are tossed into the ashbin of history.


  59. MapleStreet says:

    Looking at comment 4 by Zooey, I have to float a slightly different idea than many on this list.

    The fact that Al Q is only, merely back to its pre 9/11 strength means that something must be working. Knowing what hatred our actions in Iraq have fanned in the world in general – and the Mid East specifically, I would have expected Al Q had at least doubled.

    Admittedly posted semi- in jest.


  60. toasterhead says:

    Huh? Friends? Like Chandler or Lisa?

    What are you even trying to get across aside from the fact you hate Islam?

    Comment by Tweedster — July 11, 2007 @ 8:34 pm

    You know, I haven’t seen much of Matt Le Blanc since Joey was cancelled. Hmmm…


  61. The Oracle says:

    Compare Chertoff’s “gut-feeling” statement about this summer with the report that former CIA director George Tenet was running around Washington D.C. in the summer of 2001 with his “hair on fire,” during the same time that Bush was read a Personal Daily Briefing by a CIA agent while vacationing in Crawford TX that had the title “Bin Laden Determined to Strike Inside the U.S..” Bush stayed on his vacation throughout August 2001, essentially blowing off the warning from “hair on fire” Tenet…and 9/11 happened. Too bad Bush’s “gut” didn’t get him up off his vacationing butt, mobilizing our nation’s security to thwart the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

    If any, and I mean any, terrorist attack occurs on U.S. soil this summer, during the remainder of Bush’s criminal time left in office, or even afterward, then the terrorist attack will be all Bush’s fault. And if any, and I mean any, terrorist attack occurs before the November 2008 elections, then not only will it be all Bush’s fault, but if the Republicans try to paint anyone else as being at fault (as some political, pre-election spin job), then we will all know that they are criminally insane…and should be immediately institutionalized for the safety of ourselves and our nation’s children.

    How many American children died on 9/11? How many would still be alive if Bush and his criminal administration had payed any attention at all to all the “hair on fire” warnings during Summer 2001 about an imminent al Qaeda attack inside the United States?

    Neo-con Republicans. Criminal. Insane. Dangerous. And Chertoff is part of this cabal.


  62. JPV says:

    The conclusion suggests that the group that launched the most devastating terror attack on the United States has been able to rebuild despite nearly six years of bombings, war and other tactics aimed at crippling it.

    —–

    Counterterrorism analysts produced the document, titled “Al-Qaida better positioned to strike the West.” The document pays special heed to the terror group’s safe haven in Pakistan and makes a range of observations about the threat posed to the United States and its allies, officials said.

    Al-Qaida is “considerably operationally stronger than a year ago” and has “regrouped to an extent not seen since 2001,” the official said, paraphrasing the report’s conclusions. “They are showing greater and greater ability to plan attacks in Europe and the United States.”

    —–

    “They seem to be fairly well settled into the safe haven and the ungoverned spaces of Pakistan,” Kringen testified. “We see more training. We see more money. We see more communications. We see that activity rising.”

    —–

    The new threat assessment puts particular focus on Pakistan
    , as did Kringen.

    “Sooner or later you have to quit permitting them to have a safe haven” along the Afghan-Pakistani border, he told the House committee. “At the end of the day, when we have had success, it is when you’ve been able to get them worried about who was informing on them, get them worried about who was coming after them.”

    —–

    The threat assessment says that al-Qaida stepped up efforts to “improve its core operational capability” in late 2004 but did not succeed until December of 2006 after the Pakistani government signed a peace agreement with tribal leaders that effectively removed government military presence from the northwest frontier with Afghanistan.

    The agreement allows Taliban and al-Qaida operatives to move across the border with impunity and establish and run training centers, the report says, according to the official.

    It also says that al-Qaida is particularly interested in building up the numbers in its middle ranks, or operational positions, so there is not as great a lag in attacks when such people are killed.

    Good thing that we are wasting lives, money and international respect by fighting them in Iraq and Afghanistan when they have “safe harbor” in Pakistan.

    And of course, the answer from the Israel First Neocons…. is to attack Iran.

    LOL!!!


  63. Troll says:

    Comment by Tweedster — July 11, 2007 @ 8:34 pm

    Try reading it helps.
    Point is al qaueda growth has more to do with hatefull muslim ideology than Bush.


  64. Ophelia Heinie says:

    Bush has been paying Musharraf for this?


  65. Troll says:

    “Friends” are Quakers


  66. toasterhead says:

    Try reading it helps.
    Point is al qaueda growth has more to do with hatefull muslim ideology than Bush.

    Comment by Troll — July 11, 2007 @ 8:51 pm

    Ok first of all – don’t try to talk about al-Qa’ida if you can’t spell it.

    Second of all – most experts in counterterrorism, foreign policy, Middle Eastern affairs, and Islam would disagree with your basic premise.


  67. PiP says:

    Second of all – most experts in counterterrorism, foreign policy, Middle Eastern affairs, and Islam would disagree with your basic premise.

    Comment by toasterhead — July 11, 2007 @ 8:54 pm

    ————————————————————————————

    Jeez, this guy gets all defensive when you talk shit about alkaida!

    He didn’t even know that Islam means “submission,” he thought that it meant “peace”!

    HEyOOOOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


  68. Jim Wolf359 says:

    My God! The Trolls are just falling all over themselves in their stupidity today. Quite a few of you asshats here. Whats the matters? Slow day guys? Mommy kick you out of the basement?


  69. willyloman says:

    My God! The Trolls are just falling all over themselves in their stupidity today. Quite a few of you asshats here. Whats the matters? Slow day guys? Mommy kick you out of the basement?

    Comment by Jim Wolf359

    Elder Scrolls tournament canceled.


  70. toasterhead says:

    Jeez, this guy gets all defensive when you talk shit about alkaida!

    He didn’t even know that Islam means “submission,” he thought that it meant “peace”!

    HEyOOOOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Comment by PiP — July 11, 2007 @ 8:58 pm

    I knew that, I just didn’t have my Hans Wehr dictionary with me for backup. It means “submission, resignation, or reconciliation (to the will of God).”

    However, my statements that the seen-lam-meem root which means “to be safe and sound, unharmed, unimpaired, intact, safe, secure” as well as “to be unobjectionable, blameless, faultless” were indeed correct.


  71. PiP says:

    willyloman and traitorhead,
    How are you going to feel when we go after your Muslim friends!
    I can’t wait, it will be great!
    Finally Islam will be gone forever!!!
    But I know you guys will be sad.
    Maybe you can go to the Mid East
    to help your brothers save the Ummah!


  72. toasterhead says:

    willyloman and traitorhead,
    How are you going to feel when we go after your Muslim friends!
    I can’t wait, it will be great!
    Finally Islam will be gone forever!!!
    But I know you guys will be sad.
    Maybe you can go to the Mid East
    to help your brothers save the Ummah!

    Comment by PiP — July 11, 2007 @ 9:14 pm

    So you’re advocating genocide. Of 1.6 billion people.

    Nice. Real nice.

    And how does this make you any better than the strawman enemy you’ve created out of Muslims in your twisted little worldview?


  73. Later... says:

    Of course Queada (I don’t give one shit about spelling it properly) is rebuilding. Let’s take a quiz, which one is not true..

    A) Oil prices are high and have been crazy for 2 years, cash tides in the Middle East are at their highest ever – teenagers get Ferraris – and millions flow into radical organization funding. The US spends a 1/2 trillion on defense but 1/500 of that on alternative fuel research (see, Exxon is doing such a great job in that arena).
    B) Chimpy/Fox’s Big War On T is going so well against him, Bin Laden just wants to give it one last try before retiring for good – time to renew that contract with the tribals.
    C) The American’s are cracking, so he is letting word out that he is going to hit us hard on the homefront – why the hell not, its summer and the media is slow
    D) Bin Laden, certainly at this writing the most evil person on this planet, thrives on chaos. The more chaotic, the better. With a growing base of recruits fueled by internet and media images he is finally luring far more fighters than are dying with money he is getting from insanely rich Arabs and Iran.


  74. Moderation says:

    This never would have happened had we finished the job, and not distracted our military with an illegal war of occupation and aggression in Iraq. If the U.S. military had finished the job in Afghanistan rather than handing it over to the local warlords, then redeployed and allowed the world’s police forces to use good old detective work to finish the job, and spent the billions upon billions of dollars wasted on the war in Iraq, we’d be better off internationally and domestically, in terms of both national security and economy, and in countless other ways.

    A military solution to terrorism that works consistently has yet to be found. On the other hand, concentrated police investigations have a tremendous impact in combating terrorist tactics, and are a tried and true means of staving off terrorist acts.

    But hey, yeah, let’s keep throwing gasoline on the conflagration, eh? That’s been working just great so far. Wanna buy a bridge, folks? It’s real cheap!

    Idiots.


  75. JPV says:

    Pakistan’s government is on the verge of toppling.

    If so, their nukes will fall into the hands of Muslim extremists.

    They are intentionally harboring Al-Qaeda agents.

    Somebody remind me again why we so urgently need to attack Iran.


  76. Nuclearclock says:

    Watch for attacks on the Indians at this point. Laden tried to get the two into a nuclear war in 2003, and very nearly succeeded. I have stated here before that the Bush/Cheney combination, for a number of reasons embedded in their relationship, pose by far the worst danger for the species of this planet – out of pure indeptitude in a nuclear situation.

    When evil meets ineptitude. Tick, tick…


  77. Probus says:

    The Iraq war has made us less safe and this report is proof of it. Bush’s foreign policy has made us less safe. There are more terrorists today in the world than there were on 9-11. Iraq has nothing to do with 9-11 but the president continues to say falsely that it does. Saddam had no WMDs. We were lied into the wrong war, in the wrong place and at the wrong time. His policies are wrong for America.

    Not only did he not catch and kill bin Laden as he said he would, he let him go in the mountains of Tora Bora by outsourcing this job to the locals in Afghanistan instead of providing much needed reinforcements to our troops who were ready to go after him. He also closed down the CIA unit that was supposed to hunt down bin Laden. Where are his priorities? Had he sent more troops to Afghanistan instead of sending them to Iraq we would be safer today and al Qaeda would not be back to its previous strength.


  78. Mikey says:

    I’m shocked. I though that by killing all those Al-Quaeda number 2s, that they would have learned their lesson and disbanded by now. Does this mean they have the ability to re-organize and elect new leaders?

    Yes, that’s sarcasm.


  79. PiP says:

    mikey,

    alkaida will trick new people to join if they are muslim!
    No muslims can be trusted!
    Keep your eyes and ears open because some will try to jihad in the USA!


  80. toasterhead says:

    I’m shocked. I though that by killing all those Al-Qa’ida number 2s, that they would have learned their lesson and disbanded by now. Does this mean they have the ability to re-organize and elect new leaders?

    Yes, that’s sarcasm.

    Comment by Mikey — July 11, 2007 @ 10:32 pm

    On the positive side, it looks like our efforts to bring democracy to the Greater Middle East has been a resounding success if they’re electing leaders!


  81. toasterhead says:

    alkaida will trick new people to join if they are muslim!
    No muslims can be trusted!
    Keep your eyes and ears open because some will try to jihad in the USA!

    Comment by PiP — July 11, 2007 @ 10:43 pm

    Brilliant joke! alkaida – الكيدة – means “the trick” in Arabic. And they’ll “trick” people to join!

    That’s funny. تتكلم العربية؟ أنت شرموتة جيدً للرئس بوش وكل أصداق الاثيم!


  82. PiP says:

    † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † †


  83. dantenull says:

    they will take down the government in pakistan next.


  84. Vice President Bush says:

    Heckuva job there by me


  85. Marie says:

    Bush is supposed to be keeping us safer.
    Al Qaeda is supposed to be “on the run.”
    Republicans are supposed to be the party of national security and defense.

    Is Bush supposed to be going on vacation in August?


  86. marlow says:

    Mr. Bush, why did you let Osama go? Did you want to save him for another day?


  87. Evil Spaniard says:

    Heckuva job, Bush.


  88. Evil Spaniard says:

    #33 Yeah, Europe sure hasn’t done much to help….

    “The group also has created “the most robust training program since 2001, with an interest in using European operatives,” the official quoted the report as saying.”

    Comment by Tracy — July 11, 2007 @ 7:32 pm

    Yes, Bush has f#cked all the situation by himself. Great deed.


  89. peacenik says:

    Couple this with Chertoff’s “gut feeling” and you have the makings of a neat little design to allow for a terrorist attack within the U.S. this summer that will enable the Bush administration to do what they’ve been wanting since they stole our government in 2000 – install a tyrannical dictatorship. Once the attack takes place, they will impose martial law (using mercenaries like Blackwater to enforce it) and their coup will be complete. Call me a conspiracy theorist all you like but unless Congress gets these people who belong in an insane asylum out of office right now our country is doomed. They should impeach all the cronies in the administration – from W himself all the way down to the Regent grads appointed to the DOJ – as well as the Federalist Society/Opus Dei members they allowed to be appointed to the Supreme Court.


  90. Bob says:

    Republicans are weak on terrorism. Do we really need another attack on US soil to prove it?


  91. leporello says:

    #86, I’ve always believed that Bin Laden was allowed to escape. While he’s free there’s always the monster in the closet that we need to fear. How many times did this admistration baldly state that we needed to be afraid and that only they could keep us safe? Napoleon once said, ask anything of me but time. He appreicated that you cannot allow your enemy breathing room and time to re-organize. The world will never forget the inepititude of this administration or its myopic focus on Iraq while ignoring the real war on terror.


  92. tess says:

    what do you expect from the moron in chief…..FAILURE. bush knows iraq, afghanistan is a failure and proved that the neocon philosophy is failure. there are no military options in iraq but he doesnt care. on top of that, he wants to attack iran?? bush isnt protecting anyone but his assets, terrorism has worsen under him. the white house is full of sociopaths that care nothing about america, just haliburton and oil companies who are profiting from this mess (lets not forget cheney’s stock options w/ haliburton and the money he received from them from 2001 to 2004) bush is buying time in iraq with the blood of our troops and innocent civilians til the next prez. he is a disgrace and should be impeached.


  93. mat212 says:

    Oh!! It took them 5 and 1/2 years to find more box cutters? Because THAT is what took us down. RIGHT?



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