Three years after 9-11, terrorist threat remains strong

[Nambe]

Knight Ridder Newspapers

President Bush, who's made the "war on terrorism" the core of his re-election campaign, appeared to waver last week on how it's proceeding. He said in a television interview Monday that "I don't think you can win" the war. The remark quickly drew criticism and he modified it, saying the next day: "Make no mistake about it: We are winning and we will win." ..

Yet in interviews and writings, senior U.S. counterterrorism officials presented a less black-and-white picture of success and failure, and recent events argue that it's anything but certain that Americans are safer today than they were three years ago. ..

But the threat from the new "franchise" groups is growing rapidly and may even have surpassed it. It's fueled by widespread resentment in the Muslim world of U.S. policies, including the invasion of Iraq and unblinking support for Israel. ..

"The history of insurgents is that they start out as terrorists, and they become governments," Killebrew said. That's "an eventuality that the West has got to get prepared to deal with."

The brunt of the future fight against terrorism could fall on partners overseas, whose long-term commitment is fragile, officials said. ,,

Ride Don’t Drive * * It’s Global Cool

[capriccio]

1. Depends on what safer means...

Wouldn't the ideal Kerry ad right now begin with a clip of Bush telling us all that the world is safer, then...
Cut to terrorist attack on Russian school
Another clip of Bush telling us that the world is safer, then
Cut to Madrid bombing
Another clip of Bush teling us the world is safer, then
Cut to bus bombings in Israel
Another clip of Bush telling us the world is safer, then
Cut to recent US dead count in Iraq
Narrator: I guess it all depends on what the meaning of "safer" is.

[DieboldMustDie]

2. A Bush supporter's response to attacks in Russia, Spain, Israel & Iraq...

would be "...but 'President' Bush has kept us safe here in America. I'd rather fight the terrorists in Iraq than here in the U.S." Dealing with such people is very frustrating. :shrug:

[capriccio]

3. Yeah, but...

He's been grandly consistent about saying the world is safer, hasn't he? (Besides, this wouldn't be an ad designed at conversion...nor should any other at this point.)

[Dem2theMax]

5. Brilliant.

Send it to Kerry and Moveon.org.

[uhhuh]

4. More Media Whoring

the chimp "modifies" statements, but Kerry "flip-flops".

I really don't like all this bullshit.

This is an exact reversal. It could be held up as a textbook example of a flip-flop.

[SKKY]

6. I was thinking about 9-11, and it occurred to me...

...where are the pictures from the Pentagon? Didn't a 757 crash there? Where is the plane? It's amazing to me how google doesn't turn up one single picture of the plane wreckage from the pentagon. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[Red Fox]

7. There are none

It "got lost in the rubble" and "it was burned to ashes" or something like that.