Cheney: "It is not an accident that it's been now nearly seven years since 9/11 and we haven't

[librechik]

been hit again."

I know, I know!

When are you going to schedule the next one, Dick? A month before the election?

[ingac70]

1. ....

Blast from the past...

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30742

[cbc5g]

2. He forgot about the inside job anthrax attacks I guess

[krkaufman]

16. And apparently "global" terrorism only really counts when the target is the continental US

I'm sure that Britain, Spain, Indonesia, etc are grateful to Dick & W for what the Iraq war has wrought.

[Mojambo]

3. A lot of us think it was no accident that it happened shortly after you got into power, assface. n/t

[hootinholler]

54. Especially when it was in your playbook, Dick! n/t

[deacon]

4. They shouldn't have prevented from happening the first time. n/t

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. Yes, yes — because if *we* haven't suffered

then everything's just fine and dandy.



:eyes:

[mmonk]

6. Yep. They took care of it the last time.

[magellan]

7. ANTHRAX - how quickly they forget the dead that don't play into their meme

And just like bin Laden, the anthrax terrorist is also still at large nearly seven years later.

Anyone that wanted to attack us again could do so easily. That's because the only part of our national security that isn't a joke is the billions in taxpayer money BushCo and friends have pocketed.

You're right, Dick, it isn't by accident. It's by design. YOURS.

[Virginia Dare]

39. What's a little assassination attempt against Senators?

in the halls of Congress? BFD, they were just Democrats.:sarcasm:

[Rageneau]

8. Bush and Osama have a deal: You don't make me look bad and i don't catch you.

BartCop repeatedly makes the point that there is NO reason why we have not suffered another terrorist attack within our borders when all it would take is one suicider with a stolen tanker truck or some poison and access to a water supply.

If Osama really hates us, why hasn't he ordered something like that?

Bart's answer (postulation) is that Bush and Osama have made a secret deal. If Osama won't launch any terrorist attacks in the US, then Bush won't try to catch him. This enables Cheney and other wingnuts to say shit like "it's no accident there hasn't been another terrorist attack in the US since 9/11." Meanwhile, Osama also gets what he wants -- the ability to operate with impunity.

This scenario of Bart's is the ONLY one I've seen that makes sense, because it is the only one that answers these two OBVIOUS questions: (1) Why hasn't Osama hit us again?" and (2)"Why haven't we caught Osama bin Laden?"

[Ghost in the Machine]

20. "Why haven't we caught Osama bin Laden?"

Ummm... because he's been DEAD since December 2001? :shrug:

Fox News: "Bin Laden Already Dead"

Wednesday, December 26, 2001

Usama bin Laden has died a peaceful death due to an untreated lung complication, the Pakistan Observer reported, citing a Taliban leader who allegedly attended the funeral of the Al Qaeda leader.

"The Coalition troops are engaged in a mad search operation but they would never be able to fulfill their cherished goal of getting Usama alive or dead," the source said.

Bin Laden, according to the source, was suffering from a serious lung complication and succumbed to the disease in mid-December, in the vicinity of the Tora Bora mountains. The source claimed that bin Laden was laid to rest honorably in his last abode and his grave was made as per his Wahabi belief.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,41576,00.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Death of bin Ladenism
By AMIR TAHERI
Published: July 11, 2002

Osama bin Laden is dead. The news first came from sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan almost six months ago: the fugitive died in December and was buried in the mountains of southeast Afghanistan. Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, echoed the information. The remnants of Osama's gang, however, have mostly stayed silent, either to keep Osama's ghost alive or because they have no means of communication.

With an ego the size of Mount Everest, Osama bin Laden would not have, could not have, remained silent for so long if he were still alive. He always liked to take credit even for things he had nothing to do with. Would he remain silent for nine months and not trumpet his own survival?

Even if he is still in the world, bin Ladenism has left for good. Mr. bin Laden was the public face of a brand of politics that committed suicide in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, killing thousands of innocent people in the process.

What were the key elements of that politics?

The first was a cynical misinterpretation of Islam that began decades ago with such anti-Western ideologues as Maulana Maudoodi of Pakistan and Sayyid Qutb of Egypt. Although Mr. Maudoodi and Mr. Qutb were not serious thinkers, they could at least offer a coherent ideology based on a narrow reading of Islamic texts. Their ideas about Western barbarism and Muslim revival, distilled down to bin Ladenism, became mere slogans designed to incite zealots to murder.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405EFDE1230F932A25754C0A9649C8B63

I haven't found anything that refutes these stories, nor have I seen a retraction of them...

[KelleyKramer]

9. We WERE attacked after 911

Liar

The very core of the US government, the United States Capital building was attacked with deadly anthrax

Considering it was about a month after 911 when the US should have been on the highest of alert... it was an epic failure.

And the failure continues to this day... they have zero suspects and zero leads.

Bush/Cheney = Epic Failure

[whistle]

10. Correct and it was no accident that the Reichstag fire on Feb 27, 1933 only needed to happen once

...after Hitler took power in January 1933. The Nazis got complete control after that and Hitler became dictator.

[liberal N proud]

11. Does that mean the first time wasn't an accident as well?

With the SCOTUS decision today the fear mongers will crawl out of the woodwork. Scalia and Cheney are only the first among them

[Raksha]

22. Not many people take the fear mongers seriously these days.

They're getting just too predictable.

[indepat]

12. Maybe it's no accident that eternal vigilance seems to have been taking a snooze in the days and

weeks leading up to 9-11, the days when Ashcroft was hot on the trail of hookers in New Orleans, use of marijuana for medical purposes in California, and the right to death in Oregon whereas counterintelligence was not among his ten top budget priorities on 9-10? It's enough to make any thinking person wonder. :D

[jobycom]

13. It wasn't an accident that that 9-11 happened under Bush, either.

No, Bush and Cheney didn't do it. They were just too stupid to stop it.

[krkaufman]

14. First World Trade Center attack... Feb 26, 1993... to 9/11 ==> 8 1/2 years

Clinton kept the country safe for 8 1/2 years after the first World Trade Center bombing*... all the while presiding over one of the greatest economic periods in our history, turning our budget deficit into a surplus; expanding our international alliances; bringing peace to Bosnia; finding, convicting and imprisoning those responsible for the bombing; etc.

Bush & Cheney have certainly kept to their original plan of not following Clinton's policies, and have set the country back more than a century, in some respects.


* ...and it is arguable that the country would have remained safe had an administration that took al Qaeda seriously been in office in 2001.

[librechik]

27. "...set the country back more than a century," = Mission Accomplished!

:mad:

[Festivito]

29. YES, it's every EIGHT years. With attacks OUT of the country.

Hasn't been eight years yet, and they are killing our soldiers all the time, out of the country, over there.

[krkaufman]

32. Yeah, I was scoping the response to Cheney's statement

But when you consider the "global" conditions, it becomes an even less reasonable comparison.

[krkaufman]

15. p.s. What Cheney opts not to mention is that al Qaeda has no reason to attack us, presently ...

... since we are doing exactly what they want us to do: occupy a Middle Eastern country indefinitely, and remain stuck in an endless conflict that drains us economically and isolates us politically.

Why would al Qaeda attack the continental US and risk shifting international opinion back in our favor? So, no, it's not an accident that they haven't attacked us. They would be strategically foolish to do so.

Bush & Cheney could hardly have executed al Qaeda's plans more effectively if they were to hold daily phone calls with bin Laden and Zawahiri.

[Virginia Dare]

40. Exactly. Bin Laden's chief demand was that we get out of Saudi Arabia..

which we did. We're doing everything the Saudi's want. How's that for appeasement?

[krkaufman]

44. Well, I don't know that the Saudis wanted us to remove Saddam

We're doing everything bin Laden and Zawahiri want.

I think we removed Saddam because we thought it might help us gain leverage against the Saudis, by having an in with the 2nd (3rd?) largest source of oil, giving us more control over the flow. Oopsy!

[Virginia Dare]

46. Oh, I think the Saudis wanted Saddam gone..

they'd rather have the Shiites in charge.

[krkaufman]

53. huh?! That'd be big news to me.....

... a Sunni country wanting Iran to gain a Shiite neighbor as a partner.

[spanone]

17. hey dick head it was 8 years between the 2 tower strikes....you take way too much credit

[sendero]

18. It's not an accident..

... that the worst terror attack in the history of the nation happened on your watch because you COULDN'T BE BOTHERED TO LISTEN TO THE CLEAR WARNINGS.

Your line of thinking is like someone who think's he should be let out of prison because he hasn't murdered anyone in 7 years.

[TexasObserver]

19. No kidding, Dick! That's because YOU haven't done it again.

Darth fucking Cheney. I know others differ, but I believe he was the operational head of the whole thing. Someone kept the air over the Pentagon and DC free of fighters for over an hour.

[Raksha]

21. I bet it isn't! I can think of several things that most likely

were "not an accident," ya friggin' ghoul.

[Forkboy]

23. I would think a month after the election would make even more sense.

Blame it on the Dems.

Merry Christmas from Dick. :nuke:

[krkaufman]

34. Yep. As I stated elsewhere in the thread, al Qaeda has no reason to attack us now ...

... since Cheney and Bush are doing exactly what al Qaeda wants in occupying a Middle Eastern country. If and when we begin *leaving* Iraq, that's when the risk increases, since al Qaeda will want to draw us back in.

[Juche]

24. I'm waiting for the next attack

I assume it'll happen about 6 months before the 2010 midterm elections when the dems will control the house and senate with giant margins as well as white house after the 2008 elections. I'm also fairly sure the public will react by saying 'the dems can't keep us safe, lets vote republican again'.

[krkaufman]

35. Yep. That timing's about right, I'd think. n/t

[JDPriestly]

25. Cheney should know.

I read a book entitled "Who Killed Daniel Pearl." The author hypothesizes that the gang that killed Daniel Pearl (through horrendous methods I must which he unfortunately describes in detail) was linked and protected, possibly controlled by a rogue group within the Pakistani Secret Service.

Frankly, I don't know what to think of the book or the theory. I just don't know enough about this topic. If anyone who has read the book could give their opinion, I would appreciate it.

One fact I learned from that book, apart from my questions about some of the ideas in the book is that terrorists have historically staged terrorist attacks to obtain the liberation of prisoners.

Holding prisoners is precisely what you do not want to do if you want to discourage terrorism. In particular, it would seem to me that you would not want to hold prisoners whom you believe to be terrorists or terrorist accomplices under despicable conditions for many, many years -- long enough to give the terrorists the time and opportunity to organize actions to blackmail you into releasing the prisoners. So, it seems to me that Cheney's argument does not make sense within the information available about terrorism.

Just saying. I'm no expert, but I have a certain ability to reason and think for myself.

[krkaufman]

37. I don't have a problem with imprisoning terrorists

I'd accept the cost of trying and imprisoning the guilty, but that's not what we're doing. We're imprisoning people accused of being terrorists, many on the basis of purchased accusations, and holding them without trial. And then there's the torture.

To mitigate terrorism, we need to reevaluate our foreign policy completely, and establish plans to end our support of dictatorships and authoritarian regimes and begin assisting countries in developing more equitable economies and societies... but not at the point of a gun or embargo.

[mcctatas]

26. Why doesn't anyone ever point out that between the first bombing

of the towers (February 26, 1993) and 9/11, almost 8 years passed? The Clinton Administration did not have to shred the Constitution to keep us safe, we were only in danger after the bushies took over...

This shit pisses me off!!!

[krkaufman]

33. 8 1/2 years, actually... 2/93 -> 9/01

And, yes, the media fails to criticize such nonsense.

Same thoughts I expressed above

[mcctatas]

48. You expressed it much better than I...

and you're also better at math, I don't think I like you! ;)

[krkaufman]

52. chuckle.

:hi:

(doesn't explain the problems with my checkbook)

[noise]

28. At what price?

MOYERS:

Assume I'm president, and I'm going to say, Professor Firmage, that's all wonderful, but I deal in an ugly world. The United States is a wonderful place, relatively, because of this document, because of the values the founders inculcated in us, but the world beyond these borders is a pretty ugly world. People don't like us, people don't share those values, people are out to get us. And if I don't do the ugly things that are necessary to protect us from an ugly world, you won't be able to exercise the right of free speech out at that university."

PROFESSOR FIRMAGE:

I would say poppycock, Mr. President. That is simply nonsense. The whole fight is over means, not ends. Every president with every good intention, and every tyrant, with whatever his intention, has used precisely the same argument. That is, don't constrain me by means, and I will get you there safely and well. And I think any time we accept a reason of state argument to justify means that are totally incongruent with the values of our state, we're on the high road to tyranny and we deserve to be there.

Link

We are on the high road to tyranny as Cheney has claimed he and his pals MUST have the crutch of fascist powers to prevent terror attacks. I'm not sure how criminal negligence/dereliction of duty (in relation to 9/11) justifies the use of torture and warrantless spying.

And of course the families of those killed on 9/11 are probably not impressed with Cheney's boasts.

[SeattleGirl]

30. Um, Mr. Cheney?

No.

You're wrong.

It's "not an accident" that you just haven't pulled that string again.

YOU. FUCKING. ASSHOLE.

May you rot in hell for eternity.

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[MrSlayer]

31. Right, because you haven't had to resort to it......again......yet.

And it was eight years between the first WTC attack and 9/11.

[bdamomma]

36. catapulting the propaganda huh dick?

[krkaufman]

38. Well, it *is* an election year.

Are you ready for more color-coded terror alerts?

[bdamomma]

45. or maybe they are dusting off the bin laden video's!!

[dailykoff]

41. Yep, last chance to get those troublesome asbestos liabilities off the books.

3, 2, 1...

[Fireweed247]

42. It is no accident that some idiot hijackers were able to get by the US air force

We spend more money on defense than all other countries combined, but we couldn't stop some hijackers even with our standard procedure and incredible air force at the ready, the FAA who is supposed to inform NORAD of any suspicious behaviors and fighter jets ready to take off within minutes. Nope Rumsfeld didn't even know anything happened until a jet hit the pentagon. What great protectors they are!

[Rosie1223]

43. And the pink flamingos in my front yard have kept the elephants from eating my flowers.

[Canuckistanian]

47. Clinton had an EIGHT year unblemished record of ZERO attacks

And the largest terrorist attack in history happened on Bush's watch, despite MANY warnings.

So - who do you trust the nation's security to?

[HughBeaumont]

49. CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP

"Why are you clapping?"

"Duh! To keep the TIGERS from attacking!"

"There aren't any tigers around for . . . continents."

"DAMN. This clapping trick is working better than I thought, then!"

Conservatives don't really get that whole "cause and effect" thing very well, do they?

Oh well, repeat a stupid thought over and over again and eventually you'll get enough suckers to believe you, I guess.

[BlooInBloo]

50. Sure. They're doing the terra-ists' job for them.

[Danmel]

51. American Arrogance strikes again

When they are ready to attack us, they will attack us. It was almost 9 years between the first attack on the WTC and 9/11

And we always "step up security" for events that are important to US- the SUper bowl, Fourth of July- Maybe we should try to figure out what days are important to THEM.

But no, it's always from our perspective.

[NYC Liberal]

55. Dick doesn't mention abortion clinic bombings,

which are the very definition of "terorrism": "the calculated use of violence (or threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion-related_violence

September 11, 2006 David McMenemy attempted a suicide bombing of a women's clinic in Davenport, Iowa after scouting targets throughout the Midwest. It was later revealed that the targeted clinic did not perform or make referrals for abortions.

November 2001: After the genuine 2001 anthrax attacks, Clayton Waagner mailed hoax letters containing a white powder to 554 clinics. Waagner was convicted of 51 charges relating to the anthrax scare on December 3, 2003.

July 4, 2005: A clinic Palm Beach, Florida was the target of an arson.
December 12, 2005: Patricia Hughes and Jeremy Dunahoe threw a Molotov cocktail at a clinic in Shreveport, Louisiana. The device missed the building and no damage was caused. In August 2006, Hughes was sentenced to six years in prison, and Dunahoe to one year.
September 13, 2006 David McMenemy of Rochester Hills, Michigan crashed his car into the Edgerton Women's Care Center in Davenport, Iowa. He then doused the lobby in gasoline and then started a fire. McMenemy committed these acts in the belief that the center was performing abortions, however Edgerton is not an abortion clinc.<14>
April 25, 2007: A package left at a women's health clinic in Austin, Texas contained an explosive device capable of inflicting serious injury or death. A bomb squad detonated the device.<15>
May 9, 2007: An unidentified person deliberately set fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Virginia Beach, Virginia.<16>
December 6, 2007: Two unidentified persons set fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico.<17>

ALSO.....

9/11 actually consisted of 4 SEPARATE attacks. The hijackers operated completely independently and didn't know of the other plots...actually, not even their own. So, that's actually 4 attacks on Bush's watch.

[treestar]

56. Terra, terra, terra

:scared:

Maybe it's because they spent themselves on 9-11? The RW only wishes every Muslim were a terrorist.