Does al-Zarqawi exist?

Baghdad - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's faction has claimed responsibility for attacks that have left hundreds of Iraqis dead, and the United States has called him the most dangerous terrorist in Iraq. Still, even as al-Zarqawi threatens more chaos - in recordings and internet messages - many Iraqis believe the Jordanian militant does not even exist and is merely a phantom created by the Americans to sow unrest in the country.

Similar disbelief greeted Britain's explanation that its soldiers, arrested in southern Iraq disguised as Arabs, were on an undercover hunt for terrorists. Instead, some Iraqis argue the soldiers were out to kill Shi'ite Muslims and blame the murders on Sunnis in hopes of sparking civil war.

Such conspiracy theories are common among Arabs and may seem laughable to outsiders. But in Iraq, where rulers from British colonists to Saddam Hussein regularly played one ethnic group against the other, imagined plots can seem reasonable - a fact that may have dire consequences for US efforts to build a stable Iraqi government.

Indeed, ethnic and religious groups typically at odds are now standing united against the US-backed push for Iraqis to adopt a new constitution in a referendum om Friday and elect a permanent government in December. These steps, they say, are really intended to tighten the grip of America and Britain - the old master in Iraq - on the counry's oil wealth.

"Zarqawi is ... a myth that America has created to put a face to the terrorism it wants to stoke in this country to justify its continued presence," Sheik Amer al-Husseini, a top aide to radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

"If there was no more terrorism in Iraq, there would be no reason for the United States to remain ... making it harder for them to ... force this constitution on Iraqis," said al-Husseini.

Such arguments only add to confusion among many Iraqis who already are faced with different views from religious leaders. The radical al-Sadr has hinted he opposes the new constitution, while Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the Iranian-born cleric who holds the greatest sway over Iraqi Shi'ites, has urged its passage.

US officials had hoped that such rifts, more common between the Shi'ites and Sunnis, would have been overcome with the June 2004 handover of sovereignty and the January elections that brought the current government to power.

But each time, the same hardline Shi'ite and Sunni groups who had ridiculed the war to topple Saddam as a US effort to seize control over Iraqi oil, remained unconvinced.

As a result, little has changed in Iraq, once the seat of proud Islamic empires upon which Iraqis now look back in wonder as they survey a landscape pockmarked by bombs and sown with civilian corpses.

ok, I couldn't resist a visit to daily kos.

First time to see such garbage in print. I find it interesting that Ann Coulter gets blasted for her comment yet libs like Franken can call for the execution of people and get away with it.

BARF TIME

"Still on his whirlwind worldwide tour, bin Laden's relationship with George W. Bush and the Bush administration has never been better, but lately there's been some trouble reported in paradise. It seems Osama has been at odds with the US Secret Service agents who biannually smuggle him and the whole bin Laden clan into Bush's Crawford ranch for their regularly scheduled strategy and policy discussions with the president over a Texas style barbecue (dry rub ribs and armadillo pie).

Apparently Bush's protection unit has had to restrain Osama's little brother, Mohammed bin Laden, a number of times after he and George have gotten into heated arguments over which region has a hotter climate, Central Saudi Arabia or Midland Texas. These altercations, which seem to always take place after the younger bin Laden and Dubya have imbibed in a few too many Lone Stars, led the Secret Service to begin restricting the amount of beer served at these gatherings. Sources tell us that this move has angered Osama and especially the president, who was heard to state in response to the proposed beer cap "who do they think they are, Barbara?"

On a lighter note, it seems Laura has become quite close with several of Osama's wives especially Amal al-Sadah, Osama's favorite, going so far as to exchanging potato salad and couscous recipes. Though Mrs. bin Laden still wears the traditional abaya and veil keeping her face covered most of the time, Laura has begun advising "Amaly", as she has taken to calling her, on the finer points of applying makeup, even convincing her to where lipstick, much to the chagrin of her husband.

On the youth front, rumor has it that bin Laden's eldest son Saad has become quite smitten with one of the Bush sisters, we won't say who...... Jenna, the wild one. But unfortunately wedding bells are not in the offing given the two families competing fundamentalist religious beliefs which have created irreconcilable matrimonial issues.

It seems Osama likes to josh around with the president, saying he was most responsible for George's reelection in 2004. But Dubya just jokingly chides the elder bin Laden right back with the scathing retort "shut up you overgrown towel head, or I'll give your jihadist ass to the FDNY."

"They always get a big laugh out of that," says Laura.

The two families have become so close that the bin Laden's are considering buying the property adjacent to the Crawford ranch in Texas so that Osama and Dubya can live out those golden retirement years together, reliving the glory days."

August 08, 2005

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