Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror

TOWNHALL.COM ^ | JUNE 30, 2005 | ANDREW OLSON

[CHARLITE]

In the course of campaigning last year, President Bush faced an unending stream of attacks for his War on Terror. His opponent, Senator John Kerry (D-MA), repeatedly denounced Iraq as “the wrong war at the wrong time in the wrong place.” While many of the president's recent speeches have reminded us of our successes, and assured us that “the best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world,” the media continues unabated in its negative portrayal of the War on Terror.

As evidenced by history, popular morale influences the outcomes of wars—so the more the media convinces us we will lose this war, the more likely our defeat. More importantly, this view of the War on Terror as some huge disaster, a frantic shot in the dark, or a series of wild goose chases dismisses the accomplishments already achieved. In Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror, Richard Miniter combats this negative portrayal by piecing together the true successes of the War on Terror.

With an event-oriented style that easily transitions from the White House to Afghanistan and back to Washington, Miniter focuses on some of the key extended battles that the Bush administration has fought and won, and does so by retelling the story of the War on Terror through a series of interrelated vignettes.

For instance, Miniter tells the story of Amara Saifi, a pointman for al Qaeda in North Africa who began his terrorism career as part of the Islamic Salvation Front (ISF). This group won the January 1991 elections in Algeria, but military leaders prevented the ISF from taking power because of the group's theocratic Islamic fundamentalist ideology. As a result, the ISF morphed into a terrorist organization, and Saifi eventually rose to head the GSPC, a splinter group funded by al Qaeda, where he dealt directly with al Qaeda military commander Mohammed Atef.

Saifi's critical mistake came while planning a plot last year to kidnap the leaders of the Paris-Dakar Rally as they raced through Mali . French intelligence uncovered the plan, and United States intelligence confirmed the movement of Saifi's trucks and men. Tracked by U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft and pursued by the Malian army, the GSPC fled into Niger, another member of the anti-terror alliance, and then crossed into neighboring Chad. There, the Chadian army, with aerial guidance from U.S. aircraft, found and attacked them.

A dozen of Saifi's men escaped with him, and he led them to a Chadian rebel group, the Movement for Democracy and Justice. Unfortunately for Saifi, his Chadian allies needed money and had grown distrustful of bin Laden's network. They sold Saifi into the custody of the Algerian government, thus stripping al Qaeda of one of its most effective leaders in North Africa .

While Miniter's book presents many of these untold stories of success, the endnotes to Shadow War abound with even more references and sources whose similar messages have gone unheard. These stories have been available before, but the media has refused to listen. The time has come to report not just the criticism, but also the good news from the front. But even if the media neglects this duty, Miniter has certainly done his.

Andrew Olson is a freshman at Yale University who writes for The Yale Free Press.

[NonValueAdded]

bump

[MassachusettsGOP]

SSSSHHH..... America is not supposed to know stuff like this.

[ladyinred]

The mainstream media has a virtual blackout on any of the successes our forces have achieved in the war. This is by design in order to discredit the President. They are the hate America first crowd that used to line the College campuses in the 60's loaded to the gills on pot and acid. Now they are in charge of the news rooms and are in politics. They will bring this nation down if given the chance. We must not let that happen!

[de Buillion]

" Now they are in charge of the news rooms and are in politics. They will bring this nation down if given the chance. We must not let that happen!"

I am sorry, you missed so much of the problem, that I would like to add: The Hate America First, Blame America First TRAITORS, Democrats, and Liberals are not only in complete control of MSM, they are also in TOTAL CONTROL of 90-95% of our nation's colleges, high schools, and all other public schools! Wake Up! It is probably already too late! Ward Churchill is the norm, not an anomality!

[austinmark]

Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror, Richard Miniter.

Great Read, read it back in Jan.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Some of us know it but many don't and many of those who do are too PC in their statements to that effect. We need more people to say this as you do - the left hates America and wants our enemies to win. The mSM are part of that and the MSM wants us to lose this war. We must keep shouting it to as many as we can. They will deny it, pretending outrage, but their actions bely thier deceptoion. They are for the terrorists.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Well, I hit spell and instead it posted the darn thing. I wasn't through editing.

We must keep repeating as often as we can that the MSM are for the terrorists and the MSM is just an arm of the left/Democrats who are also for the terrorist, the Chinese, the Russians, and anyone else who seeks to harm America. The left intends to destroy what we are and have always been. It is to our peril not to scream this every chance we get.

[strategofr]

"Great Read, read it back in Jan."

I read through much of it also and I agree. What impressed me the most is how Bush didn't talk in detail about his many anti-terorism successes---even when he fought a close election campaign. This has amplified the effect of the successes (since you lose part of the benefits of getting ahead of terrorists when you talk about it) but it sill amazed me that he was so altruistic.

It also makes you sick to see that, as the result of Bush's success, the Left now says there was really no threat.

[MJY1288]

Pind for a story the MSM will never cover

[carumba]

...as the result of Bush's success, the Left now says there was really no threat.

During the invasion of Afganistan and Iraq the press was quivering, a tremulous mass, all shook up by the military might of our foes. They blabbered on and on about the difficult terrain. Then poof nothing to talk about except the ineptness of the enemy. Sometimes you have to marvel at the lack of consistency. Did we face extreme difficulty or was it a cake walk? Are the terrorists a ragtag band of zealots or an army of millions?

[ohioWfan]

Did we face extreme difficulty or was it a cake walk? Are the terrorists a ragtag band of zealots or an army of millions?

Whichever hurts President Bush more on any given day.

They figure that no one cares that the only thing they're consistent about is that whatever they're saying is a complete lie.

Unfortunately, a whole lot of Americans don't even pay enough attention to notice.

[austinmark]

.."It also makes you sick to see that, as the result of Bush's success, the Left now says there was really no threat."..

You got that right !

Keeping "success" secret has been the liberals greatest weapon AGAINST the WOT. The way the Lib's Undermine America's and Bush's War effort is borderline TREASON, IMHO.

But, don't overlook the character-revealing choice that Bush has made; he is doing what he told the Congress on Sept. 20, 2001 what he would do- .... Keeping certain engagements "secret even in success." This secretive spirit may erode some of his "political capitol",but IT HAS the benefit of assuring OUR nations survival !!!

[Tunehead54]

New media bump! Thanks. ;-)

[strategofr]

"But, don't overlook the character-revealing choice that Bush has made; he is doing what he told the Congress on Sept. 20, 2001 what he would do- .... Keeping certain engagements "secret even in success." This secretive spirit may erode some of his "political capitol",but IT HAS the benefit of assuring OUR nations survival !!!"

Thanks much. I was unaware of the quote. Sometimes it feels great to be an American!

[strategofr]

"Sometimes you have to marvel at the lack of consistency."

Orwell tagged it perfectly: Doublethink.