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[bryant]

Quick update to my last entry: Osama bin Laden (or someone claiming to be him) has taken responsibility for the French oil tanker attack. He did not take credit for the recent bombing in Bali, although Indonesian officials have made that link.

Why is Al Qaeda so eager for us to attack Iraq?

Comments

[liralen.livejournal.com]

Because it would solidify Muslim opinion for them. It would certainly convince a large chunk of the Islamic world that the US is out to make a holy war against all of Islam, by itself, without global approval.

It's funny, as there are also hints of a report about the Al Qaeda, itself, 'leaking' certain reports about connections to Iraq to help convince the Western World of the connection and bring war down on Iraq as well. Also, there's the CIA report that stated that Husaan would not attack the US or allow the more radical elements of his nation access to the bio weapons or other mass destruction weapons he has, unless the US attacked first. So if the US attacks first, the Al Qaeda's allies would get access to the Big Badda Booms, which is a big win for their desires to simply destroy as much of the US as possible.

It's very weird to watch the Congress barrel after cowboy Bush on this, especially days *after* that CIA report came out. I want to yell, "WHO HAS THE BRAIN???"

[bryant]

Agreed. Check my comments below my previous entry, where I went into more detail.

I hate that I can't say that kind of thing without people saying "anti-war!" I'm not sure I am anti-war. I am sure that I see obstacles which must be overcome if we do go to war.

[liralen.livejournal.com]

Stupid people.

History shows that war without clear goals is not just futile, it can be extremely costly in terms of life, money, and national pride. War with clear goals can be a very long-term constructive event. But even the later has a high cost.

I mean, if Bush or his cronies even mentioned *any* thought or plan of how to reconstruct the region, I might not be more reassured, but at least I'd have some inkling that someone was even thinking of long-term stability issues. Japan and Germany are very interesting examples of what happens when all the nations involved do the reconstruction.

Paying and even agreeing to pay the cost of war without a real knowledge of what that price is going to get us just rankles me to the depths of my heart and brain.

[liralen.livejournal.com]

Whew.

Thank you for letting me rant.

[bryant]

Any time. If you can't rant in response to my ranty rantings, where can you rant?

I note sadly that the lack of political infrastructure in Afghanistan leaves me even more worried about Bush's ability to build a good government in Iraq.

[agrimony.livejournal.com]

If he can't produce a good government in the US, why would we think he could do it elsewhere? :P