November 28, 2003
IT WORKED SO WELL LAST TIME...:
Official: Al-Qaeda plans something big (Kevin Johnson, 11/27, USA TODAY)
A top counterterrorism official says al-Qaeda operatives dropped plans this year for several small attacks in the USA to focus on plotting a "more spectacular" assault comparable to the Sept. 11 attacks.The U.S. counterterrorism official, who has access to all intelligence on the terrorist group, told USA TODAY this week that officials have no specific evidence to indicate how or when al-Qaeda might try to launch a massive strike on U.S. soil.
But, the official said, interviews with al-Qaeda detainees, intercepts of communications from suspected operatives and other sources have yielded evidence that Osama bin Laden's network still has a command structure and a determination to launch an attack that might rival the suicide hijackings.
We should announce in advance what steps we'll take if they strike again, for instance: arrest and try Arafat; depose Syria's Ba'athists; bomb the Iranian nuclear facilities; remove Qaddafi; etc.. Make it clear to the Islamic world what the cost of such terror is.
Posted by Orrin Judd at November 28, 2003 10:48 AM
Having such a list only works if they believe we will follow through. But if we announce our reactions in advance and follow through after their next ~spectacular~ operation, they might start to get the message. On the other hand, such foreknowledge might give opponents of Arafat , for example, reason to act in ways they would never have otherwise.
(And if we are going to make such quid pro quo a policy, I think we should announce that any use of nuclear weapons on US soil will not be followed by a long investigation of who done it, how and why, before we respond. It will result in the destruction of Medina 24 hours later, so it's in the best interest of Moslems everywhere to get these guys to calm down.)
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at November 28, 2003 12:41 PMDamascus, Qum, and Mecca need to be added to that list, along with Quetta. And also let the House of Saud know that if WMD are used against the US, their home will suddenly become an American colony.
Posted by: jim hamlen at November 28, 2003 3:31 PMRaoul suggests the appropriate course. Much of Islam is focused on "my god's bigger than your God". Reduction of Medina (or Medina and Mecca) without preadvisement would be instructive. Or we could start with Qum. "Inshallah" would then take on an appropriate meaning.
Posted by: RDB at November 28, 2003 6:13 PMI'd recommend, instead of Medina, destroying those countries which are most likely to have provided nuclear weapons to terrorists. North Korea and Iran spring to mind, as do a few others...
Posted by: Just John at December 1, 2003 3:56 AM