ABC's Path to 9/11

...but five years later, bin Laden is walking around as free as you and me...
It is worse than you think:

[Excerpts]

Jonathan Chait:
A Fighting Image Is Everything
Bush helping Republicans by highlighting the war on terror is like Clinton running on his record of marriage fidelity.
September 10, 2006

FIVE YEARS AGO, President Bush stood on the pile of rubble that had been the World Trade Center and announced, "The people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!" Remember that? Well, the people who knocked down those buildings just won.

Last week, in a news story that was buried by all the major newspapers, Pakistan signed an agreement to "allow militants to operate freely in one of Pakistan's most restive border areas in return for a pledge to halt attacks and infiltration into Afghanistan." Which is to say, Pakistan surrendered. The border areas of Pakistan are where thousands of Al Qaeda militants and (almost certainly) Osama bin Laden himself reside. On Thursday, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf made a not very reassuring statement that he'd go after the insurgents' command structure.

It's worth briefly refreshing our memories as to why Bin Laden and his closest friends are hiding out in Pakistan. In 2002, we had them surrounded near Tora Bora in Afghanistan, but Gen. Tommy Franks, the former head of U.S. Central Command, persuaded our commander-in-chief to rely on poorly equipped, ill-trained Afghan mercenaries of dubious loyalty, rather than U.S. soldiers, to finish the job. (Apparently the operating theory was, if you can't trust mercenaries, who can you trust?) Shockingly, as Peter Bergen reported in 2004 in the Atlantic Monthly, Bin Laden paid off the mercenaries, who let him escape to Pakistan. And now the Pakistanis, who were at least nominally trying to hunt him down, have thrown in the towel.

Los Angeles Times
 
December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor is attacked, an attack planned by Admiral Yamamoto.

April 18, 1943. Admiral Yamamoto is targeted and killed by U.S. P-38's.


He lasted only 18 months.

Meanwhile, 60 months after 9/11, Bin Laden and Zawahiri are making videos and running websites.
 
Hey now Bagstacker thats rich coming from a guy who tosses bags for a living. ;)
Yeah, too bad I'm not part of the cool kids club with a razor-keen intellect like yours, vortilon. ;)

BTW, making uninformed assumptions about anyone's income or method of acheiving it based on a message board handle leaves you showing a certain part of your lower anatomy that we discussed earlier... :lol:
 
You can make many other comparisons. Like median income, education level, etc.
people dont vote diebold does. :)
Oh Mikey, take pity. You know they nearly hurt their brains finding that one stat, and couldn't even get that one right, bless their hearts.

You are too right about Diebold. They had another meltdown just today in the Maryland primary. I'm sure there will be more...

Here is an interesting article regarding education levels of voters in the last election. Also, the apptitudes of Bush and Kerry are compared.

http://www.amconmag.com/2004_12_06/feature.html

Check it out
Wow! yet another unbiased source! You sold me, he's a genius!

In that same bi-partisan spirit, let me offer this:

http://www.dailykos.com/

Check it Out!
 
Yeah, too bad I'm not part of the cool kids club with a razor-keen intellect like yours, vortilon. ;)

BTW, making uninformed assumptions about anyone's income or method of acheiving it based on a message board handle leaves you showing a certain part of your lower anatomy that we discussed earlier... :lol:

Don't try and play mind games with me B.S., I'm married. Uninformed assumption? Here you are posting on an aviation related BB with your handle: Bagstacker. It's more like a logical deduction. I'll give you an example: Wretched Wrench, now I wouldn't suspect this would be a pilots handle. So there you have it.

BTW, intellect isn't the issue so much as your resorting to backhanded insults. If you're gonna dish it out, don't be surpised when you get some back. ;)
 
Don't try and play mind games with me B.S., I'm married. Uninformed assumption? Here you are posting on an aviation related BB with your handle: Bagstacker. It's more like a logical deduction. I'll give you an example: Wretched Wrench, now I wouldn't suspect this would be a pilots handle. So there you have it.

BTW, intellect isn't the issue so much as your resorting to backhanded insults. If you're gonna dish it out, don't be surpised when you get some back. ;)

Well, I've got a problem with your posts because you seem to like to make broad inferences, unsupported by fact. In fact, you've offered up outright fabrications instead, which I pointed out. Sorry, but I'll never have any respect for that.

If you know anything about the aviation or airline business, you should know that many people work in jobs such as fleet service, among others, because it suits their lifestyle, offers scheduling flexibility to pursue outside business and/or educational interests, political activities, etc., not because they are unsuited to other work.

So basically, you seem to me to be making an uninformed, disparaging class judgement about a whole group of employees, not just me. I can certainly take it, in fact most people who can't back up their assertions usually fall back on ad-hominem attacks, so it is pretty much standard fare. There is no need to insult a whole group of fine airline employees just to get at me, though. :lol: Plus, it reeks of insecurity and desperation. :p

So remember, all FSC's aren't as dumb as they look! (But a lot of 'em ARE mean, so careful there!) ;)

As for playing mind games with you, I'm not sure what you mean, or what your marital status has to do with it. (that insecurity thing again?) Anyway, I wouldn't waste my time...

Buh-Bye!
 
Well, I've got a problem with your posts because you seem to like to make broad inferences, unsupported by fact. In fact, you've offered up outright fabrications instead, which I pointed out. Sorry, but I'll never have any respect for that.

If you know anything about the aviation or airline business, you should know that many people work in jobs such as fleet service, among others, because it suits their lifestyle, offers scheduling flexibility to pursue outside business and/or educational interests, political activities, etc., not because they are unsuited to other work.

So basically, you seem to me to be making an uninformed, disparaging class judgement about a whole group of employees, not just me. I can certainly take it, in fact most people who can't back up their assertions usually fall back on ad-hominem attacks, so it is pretty much standard fare. There is no need to insult a whole group of fine airline employees just to get at me, though. :lol: Plus, it reeks of insecurity and desperation. :p

So remember, all FSC's aren't as dumb as they look! (But a lot of 'em ARE mean, so careful there!) ;)

As for playing mind games with you, I'm not sure what you mean, or what your marital status has to do with it. (that insecurity thing again?) Anyway, I wouldn't waste my time...

Buh-Bye!


You can't get over yourself can you. Talk about BS, my earlier post was not intended to insult an entire group.
Bagstacker, you take yourself too seriously. Apparently devoid of a sense of humor as well.

I notice you like to bring up insecurity a lot, is that something you're real familiar with? BTW, what was the inbreeding referrence all about?

Hey thanks for the warning about FSCs, was that a threat?
 
You can't get over yourself can you. Talk about BS, my earlier post was not intended to insult an entire group.
Bagstacker, you take yourself too seriously. Apparently devoid of a sense of humor as well.

I notice you like to bring up insecurity a lot, is that something you're real familiar with? BTW, what was the inbreeding referrence all about?

Hey thanks for the warning about FSCs, was that a threat?
Apparently, you can't get over me either! :lol:

As for your intentions versus actual outcomes, you just keep going off the rails, doncha?

As far as sense of humor goes, irony and satire are lost sometimes. Now I've been caught making the unwarranted assumption that you would get it, mea culpa...

I think this thread is about done, kind of surprised they didn't move it already...
See you at the water cooler...
 
Apparently, you can't get over me either! :lol:

As for your intentions versus actual outcomes, you just keep going off the rails, doncha?

As far as sense of humor goes, irony and satire are lost sometimes. Now I've been caught making the unwarranted assumption that you would get it, mea culpa...

I think this thread is about done, kind of surprised they didn't move it already...
See you at the water cooler...

OK I'm over you......My Bad........ :rolleyes: