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There have been some on the far-left who have stated the War on Terror isn’t “real.” I beg to disagree; we cannot allow our genuine dislike of this President influence our thought process to the extent that we believe everything that comes out his mouth is a lie! Most of his public appearances are political in nature, and we all know that the truth is heard less often from Bush than any public official I’m currently aware of - but it’s possible Cheney is in a dead-heat in the believability scales. Even a blind squirrel will pick-up an acorn once in a while, so as we search through Bush’s rhetoric, it’s important to understand that some statements, albeit over-exemplified and blown out of proportion - are somewhat truthful, and those rare occurrences deserve our attention.
I believe the threat of Radial Islam is real, and if it isn’t addressed on a worldwide scale, and treated as the police and intelligence operation it should be, the growth of Radical Islam will increase and threaten the world at large. No country is invulnerable to this threat, including the United States itself. President Pervez Musharraf made the mistake of attempting to appease the lawless tribal regions and Al Qaeda, thinking that radicalism is somehow synonymous to logic and reason; they are not, and that flawed logic has turned once-peaceful Pakistan into a hot-bed of Islamic discontent:
Al Qaeda to declare war on Musharraf
* Declaration against Pakistan’s president imminent, group says
* Bin Laden to denounce Musharraf for cooperating with U.S.
* Al-Zawahiri tape says U.S. being defeated in Afghanistan, Iraq
* Bin Laden deputy also calls for jihad against France, SpainCAIRO, Egypt (AP) – Osama bin Laden will release a new message soon declaring war on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, al Qaeda announced Thursday.
The announcement of the upcoming message came as al Qaeda released a new video in which bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, boasted that the United States was being defeated in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places.
Officials in Pakistan confirmed Thursday that Musharraf, who also is Pakistan’s military chief, would seek a second five-year term as president.
Speakers in the video promised more fighting in Afghanistan, North Africa and Sudan’s Darfur region. MUCH MORE
In every nation that has allowed Radical Islam to gain even a small foot-hold, they (the radicals) have tried to create their own areas of governance which is almost always in direct contradiction to the current rule of law for that nation. Their tactics are always one of murder, intimidation, and the regression of any semblance of dignity and respect for the associated female population(s). Radical Islam has been a blight on the world, and to curb it’s affect on our societies, a worldwide consortium of nations will be required to fight Radical Islam - and creating a training-ground and inspiration for millions more to join Radical Islam is our Iraq War in a nut-shell, which has done more to aid the cause of Radicals throughout the world and has also harmed our own national security.
Pakistan is a prime example of a failed U.S foreign policy. We refused to strike-out against the Taliban in the northern tribal area of Pakistan out of respect to President Musharraf and his failed efforts to quell radicalism in his own country; now, a recent poll has indicated that Osama Bin Laden is more popular than President Musharraf - and that is sobering news!
Bin Laden more popular than Musharraf in Pakistan: pollISLAMABAD (AFP) - Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is more popular in Pakistan than President Pervez Musharraf, according to a poll released Wednesday.
Nearly three-quarters of Pakistanis also oppose unilateral US military action against Islamic insurgents in Pakistan’s tribal areas, said the poll for Terror Free Tomorrow, a US-based organization.
The survey “may help explain why Osama bin Laden remains at large in Pakistan and why both al-Qaeda and the Taleban have regrouped there”, the group said in a statement. MORE
It doesn’t seem to be getting better, and now the U.S., one of Pakistan’s chief allies, has sided in some measure against President
Musharraf:
Pakistan crackdown: ’scores’ held
* ‘Hundreds’ of activists arrested after police take leaders into preventive custody
* Supreme Court dismisses 2 out of 7 petitions against Musharraf’s re-election bid
* Musharraf will seek new five-year term in presidential election set for October 6
* Pakistan’s legal fraternity named first candidate to challenge MusharrafISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Police intensified a crackdown Monday that opposition parties say has left hundreds of activists in custody while the Supreme Court dismissed three challenges to the re-election bid of Pakistan’s military leader.
The U.S. Embassy called the crackdown “extremely disturbing” and urged the immediate release of several opposition leaders arrested since Saturday night. The government said they were detained to derail possible unrest.The criticism was unusually sharp, considering Washington has been one of the biggest supporters of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a key ally in the U.S. war on terrorism.
“The reports of arrests of the leadership of several major Pakistani political parties are extremely disturbing and confusing for the friends of Pakistan,” an embassy statement said. “We wish to express our serious concern about these developments. These detainees should be released as soon as possible.” MORE
On June 5th, 2003, in a speech to the Troops in Qatar, the President stated:
We have made it clear that we’ll hunt the terrorists down. There’s no place they can hide from the justice of the United States of America and our friends. And right now we’ve got — we’re on the hunt in the Horn of Africa. And of course, in the battle of Iraq, you set an example of skill and daring that will stand for all time. (Applause.) The very first strike in the liberation of Iraq started from right here, and many others followed. Missions of mercy are directed from here. LINK
Fast-forward to September 25, 2007 - and let this U.S. Intelligence Report sink-in to fully understand the folly and incompetence Bush and Cheney have demonstrated in prosecuting “the War on Terror.”
U.S. Intelligence Report to Say Al-Qaida Regroupsby Linda Wertheimer and Mary Louise Kelly
Morning Edition, July 17, 2007 • The National Intelligence Estimate, a survey of threats to the U.S. compiled from intelligence gathered by CIA, FBI, State Department and military intelligence agencies, is expected to report a persistent and evolving terrorist threat to the U.S. in the next three years from al-Qaeda. LINK
That’s right, in the final analysis, IF the United States would have stuck with President Bush’s policy of not allowing terrorists safe-haven no matter where they were, we would have followed and finished-off the leadership of Al Qaeda, The Taliban, and the lawless tribes of northern Pakistan would have been unable to destabilize the government of President Musharraf.
Look at this issue in perspective; The US is reported to have attack plans in place to bomb Iran at a moments notice; LINK Bombing Iran is a guarantee that President Musharraf’s government will dissolve almost as fast as President Bush’s ratings have, and then we are faced with a country controlled by Radical Islam that would possess NUCLEAR WEAPONS!
Did I miss something here? I thought attacking Iran would be to guarantee that they couldn’t destabilize the Middle-East by possessing Nuclear Weapons, yet the mere action of attacking Iran guarantees that the Middle-East will fall into a crisis of unimaginable depth as radicals in Pakistan decide the best use for their nuclear arsenal. Am I speaking nonsense? I think not, especially as you have read above that Pakistan is in dire circumstances, and stands as a model of a government that attempted to co-exist with Radical Islam, and is now paying the price for their naïveté…
Can Pakistan be saved? I don’t know, but as far as the stability of the Middle-East is concerned, and decapitating Al Qaeda and the Taliban as we should have years ago - I believe it’s worth a try. President Bush failed the American people when he allowed Al Qaeda to regroup, and the situation in Iraq is stark evidence of that allegation. Iraq is a war based on greed, power, and oil. If we have to be in a war, it should at least benefit mankind - and if we would get off our high-horses and treat our allies as equals, developing an international terrorist strike force with teeth would be easy - especially when the world once again gains respect for the United States. It may be wishful thinking, but Mr. Bush, your options are running out fast, and those left can only hurt our nation. Be “Presidential” for once and make a decision that will help to save a vital ally and deescalate the tension in the Middle-East.
Pakistan has been our friend and ally for decades - and to allow President Musharraf’s government fall to Radical Islam would be a blow to the Middle-East and the free world in general; anyone can make a mistake Mr. President, but it takes a great man to admit and rectify those errors, and right now, those who are in the know are watching you very carefully. You’ve loaded and primed the powder keg - now it’s up to you to make decisions that actually mitigate the threat of Al Qaeda, not give them even more reason to take-out their hatred on the United States and its allies.
William Cormier
