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Richard, your idea that the Al Qaeda terrorists didn't act alone, or are a "false flag" operation, is not nutty on its face: just the idea that Iraq was involved. There is zero evidence pointing in that direction. But I do indeed think that others had some sort of foreknowledge -- to what extent is difficult to gauge. This is the subject of my forthcoming book, "The Terror Enigma: 9/11 and the Israeli Connection," out from Verso Books on September 11, '03. I think it's an overstatement to say that 9/11 was a "false flag" operation, however.

This post by Justin Raimondo comes THAT CLOSE to apologizing for having called Mr. Poe's analysis a tinfoil hat theory. It certainly is conciliatory in word and in tone, and appears to be a sincere attempt to meet Poe half-way. Perhaps this is as far as a man with Raimondo's amount of pride can go toward making an outright apology. I'll take it as the equivalent of one, and I'll imagine in my mind that it has been graciously accepted by Mr. Poe, and consider the two men to have had, let's say, a productive meeting of the minds -- a meeting of the minds, moreover, from which all of us have learned quite a lot.

I will have you both know that I will buy Richard Poe's book "Black Spark, White Fire" - and I will buy Justin Raimondo's "The Terror Enigma: 9/11 and the Israeli Connection" when it comes out.

I like both your writtings and your articles about the Kosovo war and soon after were not so far apart.

Ahhh, the good old bad days when Clinton's united us all.

I also recommend you both read Evan Kohlmann's upcoming book "The Martyrs of Bosnia: Al-Qaida’s War of Terror in the Balkans". Evan Kohlmann is a senior terrorism analyst at the Investigative Project, a Washington D.C.-based counterterrorism think tank established in 1995.

You can't understand how 9/11 was able to happen unless you understand how the Balkans made us vulnerable to al-Qaeda.

Richard, you also agreed with Justin's position that the next result of this war would be a decent into a decadent empire so you two are not that far apart.

Justin, I hope you sell so many books you can afford to buy cigarettes in New York City. Richard, when will you delve into writing history again?

As, for my Iraqi position - I think Iraq should be taken down for violating the UN's resolutions -- BUT -- I know that this administration only views a UN resolution as a fig leaf. The problem is I do not trust the neo-cons. I know they would betray American policy for their ideology as soon as they can. The neo-cons cheered just as loud when Clinton bombed Kosovo, a policy which can only be called criminally insane.

Kosovo has stained my ability to cheer along any war, even a war that may need be fought like Iraq.