Experts See Lower Threat From al-Qaida ~ (So we must be doing good in Iraq....RIGHT?)

Las Vegas Sun ^ | September 24, 2006 at 19:5:15 PDT | ROBERT H. REID and SALLY BUZBEE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

So we have done serious damage to Al Queda....but the Terror threat has grown ....but is fractured....they are moving the goal posts again.....

[CAWats]

All that means those frightening videos may have been just that - designed to frighten the West and inspire followers - with little real punch behind them.

Fear is their biggest weapon. If we stop being afraid, they will be disarmed.

[onyx]

Of course.

[oolatec]

Moving the goal posts? Not really. It's not just about Al Qaeda. Unfortunately, the dunderheads in positions of influence in Western governments around the world refuse to see this.

[Cindy]

On The Net...

INTELLIGENCE.house.gov: Washington, D.C. - "HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE RELEASES REPORT ON AL-QAEDA Five Years after 9-11 Al Qaeda, Like-Minded Islamists no Less Committed to Attacking within the U.S." (September 20, 2006) (pdf)

"intelligence.house.gov/Media/PDFS/ExtremistThreat.pdf"

[jongaltsr]

There comes a threshold where we have captured or killed off the heads of various cells and their replacements are less (intelligent or capable) and the capture and killing off of those remaining accelerates exponentially. Complete collapse follows quickly.

I would predict that we are reaching that point. But then I'm not an expert - just a good judge of history and people.

There will always be the odd dead enders which will remain but they will be extremely few and much less effective.

[jongaltsr]

There comes a threshold where we have captured or killed off the heads of various cells and their replacements are less (intelligent or capable) and the capture and killing off of those remaining accelerates exponentially. Complete collapse follows quickly.

I would predict that we are reaching that point. But then I'm not an expert - just a good judge of history and people.

There will always be the odd dead enders which will remain but they will be extremely few and much less effective.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

What do you mean...."of course"?

[onyx]

(So we must be doing good in Iraq....RIGHT?)

Of course.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Glad I ask...I thought you were referring to the ..."they are moving the goal posts again....."

[MikeA]

Hmmm, I thought the NIE said Iraq was making terrorism worse. I guess another CIA smear against the president is quickly coming to naught.

[blam]

So, does this mean that the 'American Hiroshima' has been called off or cancelled?

[Allegra]

Al Qaeda has done very little in Iraq lately.

The Sunni insurgency has also mellowed down considerably.

The Shiite militias are the main troublemakers now and while the media won't talk much about it, those militias are also running into problems, courtesy of the USA and the Iraqi forces.

[1035rep]

"I guess another CIA smear against the president is quickly coming to naught."

Yep, that was fast! 

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Beats me,....there is so much SPIN going on...it is getting hard to keep it straight!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

those militias are also running into problems, courtesy of the USA and the Iraqi forces.

First that I have heard about that....papers here say they just keep finding bodies....

[Allegra]

First that I have heard about that....papers here say they just keep finding bodies....

Of course that's all they talk about. And they are still finding bodies and there is still violence in Baghdad. However, the security situation has much improved there just in the last couple of weeks and will continue doing so.

The media doesn't like to talk about things like that. I know the CNN, et al scumbags in the Palestine Hotel know about the successes in Operation Together Forward. They just refuse to pass that particular part on.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Here is SPIN from the other direction:

White House Takes Issue With Intelligence Assessment (that war in Iraq encourages terrorism)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See link at #19...NY Times will not like this AP Story....the White House will!