Doubleplus good!

It's sort of like scrubbing the blood off your hand with a wire brush.

Did I miss the display of a certain someone's head on a pike?

The capture of jihadist mastermind Racha'el al-Ray has Al Quaeda on the run. Once we capture Obama's Auschwitz prison guard uncle, we can finally take the duct tape off of our doors and windows.

I think we should provide lots of technical assistance and money to a splinter group to help defeat the larger enemy, then once they're hurting, we can turn tail and leave, and let the crowds tear our "friends" to pieces.

Oh. That's been tried before? Never mind.

"So we'll be getting weapons and supplies to them as soon as possible. Oh, I wasn't supposed to say that part."

The narrative on AQ since 9/11 has gone something like this:

They're on the run!
Brink of defeat!
Brilliant escape!
Totally destroyed!
Resilient pockets!
Resurgent!
Decimated!
We're making progress!
They're more powerful than ever!
Got their number two!
Facing rebellion!
Deadliest attacks yet!
Nearing defeat!

Great! So, I guess we don't need the PATRIOT Act anymore.

You think that our intelligence friends would learn that maybe they should STFU about these things, even if they think they are true

Jubeebee: Resilient pockets!

are they wearing cargo pants?

Jubeebee: Got their number two!

but who does number two work for?

They should see total defeat by late october.

Does this mean we've turned the corner?

Al Qaeda will be around as long as the CIA keeps them on the payroll.

ScubaDude1960: Al Qaeda will be around as long as the CIA GOP keeps them on the payroll.

Small edit for accuracy.

Al Qaeda's mission was to financially and politically cripple the United States, leaving it desperately weakened and no longer a player on the global stage. That being mostly accomplished, I would guess they are probably shutting themselves down.


/some sarcasm involved

I called this in the thread earlier.

News comes out that Americans are at record lows in Iraq war support.

Later that day, "Al Qaeda is almost defeated!"

Obfuscate, create a story, and once again conflate Al Qaeda with Iraq. 1,2,3.

They are just downsizing because they know Obama is going to win the presidency and he'll take over the mission from there.

ninth_level_dan: Al Qaeda's mission was to financially and politically cripple the United States, leaving it desperately weakened and no longer a player on the global stage. That being mostly accomplished, I would guess they are probably shutting themselves down.

Osama is probably in a cave somewhere standing in front of a 'Mission Accomplished' banner.

Marcus Aurelius: Does this mean we've turned the corner?

Must be a myriagon.

Looks like we've turned another corner on that geodesic dome that is called Iraq.

Sounds like Michael Hayden is our version of Baghdad Bob.

Other Muslims don't like them. Their brand of Islamic violence isn't cool.

The fact that they have been rejected by their fellow Muslims has as much to do with their demise than anything the US has done.

they were nearing defeat in 2003, but then we stopped paying attention, and we had to go and do it again.

vernonFL :
Osama is probably in a cave really nice house in Pakistan somewhere standing in front of a 'Mission Accomplished' banner.

FTFY

vernonFL: Osama is probably in a cave somewhere standing in front of a 'Mission Accomplished' banner.


Ooooo sounds like a photoshop opportunity,

Finally THE LAST THROES.

Well at least he said al-Qaeda and not "terror".

Why would anyone believe anything coming from an agency who's specialty is subterfuge and deceit?

I got paid today so my bank account is nearing a billion dollars. I've still got 999+ million to go, but it's nearer!

MisterTweak: I think we should provide lots of technical assistance and money to a splinter group to help defeat the larger enemy, then once they're hurting, we can turn tail and leave, and let the crowds tear our "friends" to pieces.

Oh. That's been tried before? Never mind.

I think we should increase our troop numbers in an effort to stabilize iraq so their government can get some breathing room and make the tough but essential decisions they've failed to make so far.

Oh. That's been tried before? Never mind.

damned if we leave
damned if we stay

in a spot like this I'd say the best bet is to stop following the leaders that led us here. in fact, I wouldn't oppose holding those leaders accountable for this mess. I'm nutty that way.

good let's declare victory and bring em home. we could use the extra cash.

The imaginary Al-Qaeda that's been used as an excuse for this administration to wipe their ass with the constitution of the United States certainly is nearing its end.

The real-life one is doing fine and well, since the rocket surgeons that have been running the "War on Terror" have allowed Osama Bin Laden to turn the world into his myspace page.

So we can ignore any reports of "increased chatter" that come up just before elections?

They'll just call Al-Qaeda something different and then proceed to tell the world that Al-Qaeda doesn't exist - therefore WE WIN!!!!

vernonFL: Osama is probably in a cave somewhere standing in front of a 'Mission Accomplished' banner dead.

/ftfy

Do they mean Al-Qaeda as an organization or Al Qaeda as an ideal.

Even if we stop Al-Qaeda if we don't address the root problems another terrorist organization will form and we'll be back were we started.

Not bad, but let me make some minor corrections:


Jubeebee: The narrative on AQ since 9/11 has gone something like this:

They're on the run!
Got their number two!
Got their number two!
Brink of defeat!
Brilliant escape!
Got their number two!
Totally destroyed!
Resilient pockets!
Got their number two!
Resurgent!
Decimated!
We're making progress!
Got their number two!
They're more powerful than ever!
Got their number two!
Facing rebellion!
Got their number two!
Got their number two!
Deadliest attacks yet!
Nearing defeat!

Poor naive Michael Hayden. He didn't realize that he must publish good news AFTER a Democrat is elected into office or else liberals will brush it off. He should have waited a few months.

madcan34: They'll just call Al-Qaeda something different and then proceed to tell the world that Al-Qaeda doesn't exist - therefore WE WIN!!!!

hey it worked with torture.

Liberal Elite: Do they mean Al-Qaeda as an organization or Al Qaeda as an ideal.

Even if we stop Al-Qaeda if we don't address the root problems another terrorist organization will form and we'll be back were we started.

No doubt, this is like when a company goes through a really bad lawsuit (ValuJet) and decides to change the company name rather than continue to suffer the PR hit.

Liberal Elite: Do they mean Al-Qaeda as an organization or Al Qaeda as an ideal.

Even if we stop Al-Qaeda if we don't address the root problems another terrorist organization will form and we'll be back were we started.

I'm curious as to what those root problems are.

vernonFL: Other Muslims don't like them. Their brand of Islamic violence isn't cool.

The fact that they have been rejected by their fellow Muslims has as much to do with their demise than anything the US has done.

This.

Probably one of the reasons things have turned a corner in Iraq as well. People were sick of walking outside and seeing body parts everywhere.

Jubeebee: The narrative on AQ since 9/11 has gone something like this:

They're on the run!
Brink of defeat!
Brilliant escape!
Totally destroyed!
Resilient pockets!
Resurgent!
Decimated!
We're making progress!
They're more powerful than ever!
Got their number two!
Facing rebellion!
Deadliest attacks yet!
Nearing defeat!

We never got AQ's #2. Just AQ in Iraq. AQ's #2 is Zawahiri, whom's capture would be significant.

Last throes?

xbattlewax: Liberal Elite: Do they mean Al-Qaeda as an organization or Al Qaeda as an ideal.

Even if we stop Al-Qaeda if we don't address the root problems another terrorist organization will form and we'll be back were we started.

I'm curious as to what those root problems are.

Having Western military or heavy commercial presence in the ME seems to have pissed off a lot Muslamos. They just don't appreciate our very heavy handed ways of yore. Don't seem to care for recent invasions, either. Move all troops to Afghanistan. Take out the Paki-Afghan border and leave. Ruin the Taliban on the way out.

Leave the ME to it's 7th Century ways. The House of Saud is coming to realize Waziri teachings are dangerous to them, too.

Buy oil and have it delivered. Buy more from South America and cut the chest thumping and name calling. Open off shore drilling with huge safeguards (no more Campeche rig accidents).

Intensive national work on renewable energy and an alt. fuel source for the interim. Weeds, not corn!

Flip 'em the bird when the despots we helped arrive on our doorstep asking for munitions. They are big boys, let them settle their own internal differences.

Elvis Christ: Poor naive Michael Hayden. He didn't realize that he must publish good news AFTER a Democrat is elected into office or else liberals will brush it off. He should have waited a few months.