Yeah, but not serious ones.
Anyone who even begins to believe that someone on the other side of this thing would tell the truth is even too dumb to have a "brain fart".
Enough said.
'Appearances' have nothing whatsoever to do with it. If one commits onself to combat, the ultimate objective is, as it ought to be, the elimination of the enemy's ability to make war. One does not request a truce from a position of strength. Al-Q is on the run. Now is the time to pile on- not allow them to regroup, retrench and gather strenth for another attack on this country. 'Olive branch' my fanny.
I would expect somebody teaching at the Naval Postgrad school to know better.
We were "winning the peace" on the morning of 09-11-01. To most human beings, FREEDOM trumps "peace."
I have a peace branch for Osama, it is high and sturdy, and comes complete with a rope and a noose.
I read the title, scratched my head, saw the source, and it all became clear.
And we wonder who buys those lemons sitting on used car lots.
How can you tell a Muslim is not telling the truth?
His lips are moving.
THis man purposefully embraced a widely known mistranslation to the furtherance of goals so vile, it can only be described as treason.
He demands the death of Americans on American soil be considered morally superior to the death of Americans Coaliation country citizens, Afghanis and Iraqis in Afghan and Iraq.
Professor Arquilla should have his position at the Monterey School eliminated, he should be given no severance package, and his pension should be requisitioned. All of his security clearances should be removed, and his ability to communicate with Naval officers halted by court order on basis of treason.
THIS MAN KNOWS THAT AL JEZEERA MISTRANSLATED OSAMA'S MESSAGE .
Rule of thumb: Anytime muslim combatants offer a truce, it's part of their military strategy just like their religion is part of their politics.
Not the first strange noise from that place.
Thanks, genius. A decade of Oslo got us a lot of dead Israelis, and a lot of dead arab teenagers. And, in the end, Hamas.
So if bin Laden were to call off his dogs of war... Such al Qaeda withdrawals would sharply reduce the need for our forces to remain in these sad lands.
Is he serious? Seriously, this guy needs to find a new line of work, we can't have him teaching military officers if we are going to have any hope.
Ending the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq would reduce the huge strain imposed on the U.S. military, tying it down and seriously impairing its ability to respond swiftly to new crises, such as those that might arise on the Korean peninsula or elsewhere.
"Reduce the strain"? Reduce the strain by building it bigger and better, not by abandoning the field. The military is not a social program, or an ornament which must not be taken down off the shelf for fear of getting it dusty. It is there to be used, and if it is getting beaten up by use, then fix it, build it stronger so it can take the pounding. But you have to know that if the marines are taking a pounding, their enemies are dying in droves.
If Bin Ladin is asking for a truce, it is because he has tired of living on the run, he has seen what happened to Saddam and his sons, he sees that he is losing control of the movement he helped to build. He wants to come above ground, where he can have more direct communications and influence, and so he can get a bath and a hot cup of coffee.
If he's asking for a break, I think that means we're winning.
First step in insuring massive civilian casualties ala The Battle of Britain, the invasion of Poland, et al.
Mr. Arquilla has never heard the word 'hudna' before?
* The U.S. to withdraw from and abandon operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
* Al-Qaeda to reestablish control in Iraq and Afghanistan.
* In exchange for the above two points, Al-Qaeda will agree to halt all of its nonexistent attacks on American soil, and halt planning of future hypothetical attacks of same.
* This truce is to last until Al-Qaeda has rebuilt its infrastructure in Iraq and Afghanistan.
* Upon expiration as per the point above, Al-Qaeda may resume planning and executing attacks on American targets, and...um, the U.S. would have to retake Iraq and Afghanistan if they wanted to reestablish a presence there.
Sounds like a fair deal to me. We should thank our lucky stars that Al-Qaeda is in such a bad position that they have to offer such generous terms of surrender to us. /sarc
Send Jimmy Carter to negotiate with Osama. He would kidnap Carter and we would know Osama is not sincere.Its a win-win situation.
Does he mean like the peace that was offered to the Palis? It worked so well! *now removing tongue from cheek*
nuts