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| Was Osama Right? |
| 2007-05-16 |
| Islamists always believed the U.S. was weak. Recent political trends won't change their view. by Bernard Lewis, Wall Street Journal . . . From the writings and the speeches of Osama bin Laden and his colleagues, it is clear that they expected this second task, dealing with America, would be comparatively simple and easy. This perception was certainly encouraged and so it seemed, confirmed by the American response to a whole series of attacks--on the World Trade Center in New York and on U.S. troops in Mogadishu in 1993, on the U.S. military office in Riyadh in 1995, on the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000--all of which evoked only angry words, sometimes accompanied by the dispatch of expensive missiles to remote and uninhabited places. Stage One of the jihad was to drive the infidels from the lands of Islam; Stage Two--to bring the war into the enemy camp, and the attacks of 9/11 were clearly intended to be the opening salvo of this stage. The response to 9/11, so completely out of accord with previous American practice, came as a shock, and it is noteworthy that there has been no successful attack on American soil since then. The U.S. actions in Afghanistan and in Iraq indicated that there had been a major change in the U.S., and that some revision of their assessment, and of the policies based on that assessment, was necessary. More recent developments, and notably the public discourse inside the U.S., are persuading increasing numbers of Islamist radicals that their first assessment was correct after all, and that they need only to press a little harder to achieve final victory. It is not yet clear whether they are right or wrong in this view. If they are right, the consequences--both for Islam and for America--will be deep, wide and lasting. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #3 O'REILLY Op-eds "Talking Points" on the agenda of the FAR LEFT-RADICAL LEFT-SECULAR PROGRESSIVES [SP's] IN AMERICA: * Want the USA to submit = be suborned to a world or international coalition of nations, which has to include RUSSIA-CHINA to counter "arrogant" US policies and influence. SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH, aka OWG = Global Government. * want to [FORCIBLY]TRANSFORM AMER VIA SECULARISM-LEGALISM-JURISM, REGULATION, PROPAGANDA, and BIG-G-G-E-R BIG GOVT IN AMERICA, aka SOCIALISM. * Want [Legal-Cultural-Political]ANARCHY IN AMERICA. * Want Illegals to have legal right-privelege to STAY ILLEGAL FOREVER WID RIGHTS TO RECEIVE PUBLIC ENTITLEMENTS-ASISTANCE. * Radical Environmentalists, most of whom include or are Pro-DemoLeft and pro-SP, are in effect arguing or fighting for NATIONAL-GLOBAL ANTI-MATERIALISM, ANTI-CONSUMERISM, ANTI-CAPITALISM, andor ANTI-DEMOCRACY. * Are working to ensure Amer-specific HUMILIATION AND DEFEAT IN IRAQ, THE MIDDLE EAST, and the WOT IN GENERAL. Lest we fergit, ASYMMETRIC WARFARE > gener means the GREATEST OR ULTIMATE THREAT TO AMER IS ITSELF. NAPOLEAN BONAPARTE [paraphrased]- "There is no need to attack and destroy any nation that is already trying to destroy itself". |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-05-16 22:26 |
| #2 Osama confused Clinton with America. Clinton was, is, and always will be weak, but the America which produced that jackass is strong to the core. The same America wears a cloak of weakness and uncertainty. This appears as an endless debate on whether to debate further or take a stand. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2007-05-16 10:58 |
| #1 Sadly, it appears he was. Laughing from the grave, though. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-05-16 06:59 |