Checkers

I have to say this...There's something that has been bugging me. From the very start of the Al Qaeda mess, I have had this uneasy feeling that somehow we are doing almost everything exactly wrong.

After 9-11 we did attack Afghanistan and the Taliban, but we gave Bin Laden a month to get ready. That gave him time to set his contingency plans and decentralize his operations.

Then we had Osama surrounded at Tora Bora...and let him go. We didn't get Mullah Omar, the head of the Taliban, either....and now we have a full blown war happening in Afghanistan again. You knew that didn't you? Have you noticed that more Americans are dying in Afghanistan?

I can't begin to list the stupid mistakes we made in Iraq, but not bothering to secure Saddam's known weapons depots has got to be one of the stupidest mistakes in the history of war! It was more than likely a rocket propelled gredade from one of these depots that blew Casey Sheehan's head off.

It is almost like President Bush is programmed to do exactly what Osama wants. You did notice that even after grandstanding about never giving in to terrorrists demands...Bush gave in to the number one reason Osama says they attacked us. We are closing the U.S. military bases in Saudi Arabia.

And the Israelis are out of Gaza.

And the Palestinians are on their way to a separate state.

And we took Saddam out for Osama. This was exactly what Osama wanted. Bin Laden could not operate in Iraq with Saddam in power. Al Zarqawi was only able to stay alive in Iraq because he was in the American protected Kurdish zone...Protected by President Bush.

"We thank God for appeasing us with the dilemma in Iraq after Afghanistan. The Americans are facing a delicate situation in both countries. If they withdraw, they will lose everything and if they stay, they will continue to bleed to death."

That was what Zarqawi said.

"All that we have to do [to provoke the United States] is to send two mujahideen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al-Qaeda, in order to make the generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic, and political losses without their achieving for it anything of note than some benefits for their private companies."

That was what Bin Laden said.

There are the choices we now face.... Admit we lost and leave...or stay and die.

Way to go George! While you've been screwing up a checkers game...The bad guys have been playing Chess!

I know where I stand!

Peace,

Steve


For further reading:

pinr.com report

Here is the frightening conclusion of that report (but you should read the whole thing):

...By failing to stabilize Afghanistan and Iraq, and if it is unable to alter the perception of itself favorably, the Islamic revolutionary movement will grow and become a greater threat to the U.S. homeland and its interests abroad. Unfortunately, Washington's ability to stabilize Afghanistan and Iraq may prove impossible, bringing the instability of these two peripheral countries to the core of the United States.