This may explain why Rice was backpeddling on CNN(Zawahiri escapes)

[PA-DEM]

Pakistani officials are now suggesting that Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, may have escaped an area of intense fighting near Afghanistan's border.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1069992.htm

[madaboutharry]

1. I'm not so certain this whole story

wasn't made up in the first place. It got Bush's war on terror front and center for a full 24 hour news cycle. It smells like Orwellian propaganda to me. I don't believe anything anymore.

[XanaDUer]

2. A soon as I heard the word "MAY" have surrounded him...

I felt this was a pseudo-news report that the desperate Bushistas were spinning to make themselves look good.

I mean, "may" opens up a lot of wiggle room:

1. I "MAY" have proof of ET life...

2. I "MAY" be the first female Pope...

3. I "MAY" have won the lottery...

:eyes:

[beachbum]

16. ROFL

Thanks LibertyChick, I MAY have been about to have a stroke, if it weren't for your humor.

[XanaDUer]

18. Lol! You're welcome.

;)

PS-I think there WAS a female Pope, now that I think of it.

[AlinPA]

5. We will hear this stuff for the next 7 months. It keeps Bush*'s war

in the news- 'muricans have to vote for their commander in chief.

[arcane1]

9. and when it turns out to be bogus

they will print it on page z99 :grr:

[in_cog_ni_to]

8. That was my first thought too.

Here we go again. Next, they will elevate the alert system to red. Then, back to yellow. Then we'll have a Bin Ladin sighting. Then, alert back to red. Every day/week it will be something new until the election. These people are a bunch of exaggerating, lying crooks. I don't believe a word that comes out of ANY republican's mouth.

[Uzybone]

12. So do I

right around the time of the one year illegal war anniversary no less. Just more shit to make people associate invading Iraq with attacking al Qeada.

[Kikosexy2]

3. And speaking of Ms. Rice...

Did anyone catch her on Tom Brokaw last night's special on the Clinton and Bush's administrations missed opportunities of capturing Osama. Talk about blatantly lying to the public. Although other intelligence officials had claimed that the Bush administration was not fully interested in combatting terrorism, Ms. Rice had the gall to bold-face lie and say that "terrorism was a top priority" in the first months of office. Huh??? LIE!!!--Time magazine had reported (May 27, 2002 issue) that she told agent Richard Clarke that terrorism was NOT A PRIORITY in the Bush administration. Which explains meetings on combatting terrorists and hunting for Osama were pushed to early Sept. 2001 and not dealt with once the Bushies were in office. Their top priorities as reported on the program were healthcare, education and yes--Iraq. Didn't Georgie Boy deny that Iraq was not in their agenda when he first took office???? Former Sec. of Treasury Paul O'Neill sure said so! Also caught Paul Wolfowitz on Jim Lehrer last night spewing his lies as well! Disgusting lying pigs this administration is!

[DinahMoeHum]

4. The Pak authorities and the media were telegraphing this

shit several days in advance. I mean c'mon now. Do they think the al Qaeda doesn't have eyes and ears all around that place? Someone sympathetic to al Qaeda could have tipped off the bigwigs easily.

:evilfrown:

[BootinUp]

14. good point -eom-

[sangh0]

6. This while story is a scam

No has seen Zawahiri in the area. There's just too much that's fishy about this story

1) All the info comes from the Pakistani govt, well known for lying
2) No one has seen Zawahiri
3) They only suspect that some unnamed high-level Al Queda leader is there because of the fierce resistance. The idea that it's AZ is nothing more than speculation

[Sparkly]

7. But what kind of scam?

Seems weird to me, too. The coverage has been uneven.

It does sound (from the reports) like the situation at Tora Bora. But who downplayed the idea that Zawahiri was there, or that any other high-level Al Qaeda could be captured (reports were 200 people)? Fox and Condi Rice played it down.

What was not reported was whether, or how, the U.S. forces were involved. Maybe that was for "strategic reasons," but there was no secrecy that the Pakistanis were fighting, so I don't understand why they wouldn't say what the U.S. was doing.

My guess is that the U.S. did not want the Pakistanis to make any arrests or achieve any significant victory. (Of course, they can take the risks and the losses, like the "rebels" at Tora Bora did.)

Does it make sense that the U.S. would have wanted the AQ to move over the border to Afghanistan, where the victory would be ours? Or, given no cameras and sketchy info, that something was fanagled so that we'd reap the "victory" at another time? Or am I just an overly-suspicious conspiracy theorist these days?

[sangh0]

11. Why they won't talk about US involvement

The Pakistani people hate us, and resent Mushareff for siding with us. Mushareff wants to avoid antagonizing Pakistanis by revealing that the US military is operating within Pakistan

[eissa]

10. I've become more conspiracy-minded

ever since this administration took over. It's amazing; I've never been this way before. I just view everything they say with such skepticism; I question absolutely everything they say. I still think they know where these guys are. I can't imagine that they would be anywhere other than near the Afghan/Pakistani border, where their sympathizers are more than willing to protect them. Are we simply waiting for a more opportune time (closer to dem convention, maybe?)

[in_cog_ni_to]

13. Are we simply waiting for a more opportune time (closer to dem convention

maybe?) Yup, yes, bingo. Sept./Oct. 2004...Bin Laden will miraculously be found.

[mccormack98]

15. Just goes to show how easy it is to manipulate the headlines ...

Unpleasant anniversary coming up? Not a problem! Just schedule a big military operation aimed some high ranking Al Quida official. Never mind that you haven't a clue where he is. Just run the operation, then announce "Whoops! He got away!"

This kind of scam can be used over and over. And the beauty is, you can even run it at home! "Special Forces Surround Al Quida Cell in Des Moines! Fierce Gunbattle Under Way!"

[TomSeaverr]

17. I bet this guy

and Bin Laden are no where near Pakastan. They're probably somewhere in Kenya cooling it.

[newyawker99]

22. Hi mccormack98!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[John_H]

19. They'll get him

to stop the current bleeding. Then, a few days before our convention, Osama.

What they don't get is that folks don't worry about Osama as much a s Karl hopes they do while they're worrying about how they're going to write a check for the mortgage.

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. This Zawahiri guy sure gets around

In the last two years there have been at least two reports that he was killed in Afghanistan and at least one report that he was in jail in Iran. Now Mr Zawahiri is supposed surrounded by Pakistani forces only to slip away again. How convienent? I wonder what Zawahiri's next majic trick will be?

[Zynx]

21. He will be in our custody and then end up in Indonesia!

Damn rumors. They screw up the whole equation by making us think he is somewhere he isn't while he moves around some more.