With latest success, ’strategic defeat’ of al Qaida within reach
From AP:
WASHINGTON — U.S. and Pakistani officials said Saturday that al-Qaida’s second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the U.S. believes to be on the verge of defeat.
Since Navy SEALs stormed Osama bin Laden’s compound and killed him in May, the Obama administration has been unusually frank in its assessment that al-Qaida is on the ropes, its leadership in disarray. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last month that al-Qaida’s defeat was within reach if the U.S. could mount a string of successful attacks.
“Now is the moment, following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them,” Panetta said, “because I do believe that if we continue this effort we can really cripple al-Qaida as a major threat.”
A Libyan national, al-Rahman never had the worldwide name recognition of bin Laden or bin Laden’s successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri. But al-Rahman was regarded as an instrumental figure in the terrorist organization, trusted by bin Laden to oversee al-Qaida’s daily operations….
Senior al-Qaida figures have been killed before, only to be replaced. But the Obama administration’s tenor reflects a cautious optimism that victory in the decade-long fight against al-Qaida could be at hand.
“It does hold the prospect of a strategic defeat, if you will, a strategic dismantling, of al-Qaida,” incoming CIA Director David Petraeus said in July.
Two weeks from tomorrow, we mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. It has taken longer than most Americans probably expected, and it has come at a higher cost than almost anybody anticipated, but we can now mark the occasion with at least some satisfaction that justice — at least the type of justice within our earthly power — has been served.
– Jay Bookman
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937 comments Add your comment
Uncle Jed
August 28th, 2011
10:29 pm
Yasgur was born in New York City to Russian Jewish immigrants Samuel and Bella Yasgur.[1] He was raised on the family’s farm and attended New York University, studying real estate law. By the late 1960s, he was the largest milk producer in Sullivan County, New York.[2] His farm had 650 cows, mostly Guernseys. [3]
At the time of the festival in 1969, Yasgur was married and had a son and daughter. His son, Sam Yasgur, was an assistant district attorney in Manhattan at the time of Woodstock.
++++++++++++++++++
I know there was a bunch of bacon cooked and distributed to the near-starving masses, but farmer Yasgur was indeed producing dairy. SHROOMS.
There were a bunch of folks “makin’ bacon” down on the farm
That’s it for me for tonight…ZZZZZZZZZ
Thulsa Doom
August 28th, 2011
10:32 pm
getalife,
AAAAAhhhh! The W card. Everything is W’s fault even though he hasn’t been in office in almost 3 years. Soooo predictable.
JKL2
August 28th, 2011
10:34 pm
getalife- She lost the primary. The President is not a player.
1. After you threw her under the bus for the clueless man with the tan.
2. I know. I would say he throws like a girl but that is too insulting to females. I could also beat in in bowling throwing the ball between my legs.
Midori
August 28th, 2011
10:35 pm
“On your knees, intern.”
Looks like somebody’s jealous
getalife
August 28th, 2011
10:35 pm
The w collapse cost us a decade so they will talk about it for a decade.
Deal with it doomy.
Thulsa Doom
August 28th, 2011
10:42 pm
getaife,
Uh-huh.
JKL2
August 28th, 2011
10:43 pm
getalife- The w collapse cost us a decade so they will talk about it for a decade.
obama has already cost us more than Bush and he hasn’t even taken credit yet. Can’t wait to see what happens when he takes control…
JKL2
August 28th, 2011
10:46 pm
getalife
Could you act more like your hero? Just sit quietly in the chair in the corner. Take credit for anything good that happens regardless of if you were involved or not, and blaim everything else on Bush.
getalife
August 28th, 2011
10:46 pm
jk,
He called for unity on the economy and the gop said no.
The next congress will finally work with him.
Nice patriotism cons.
Pathetic actually.
Thulsa Doom
August 28th, 2011
10:46 pm
JKL2,
Its hopeless. Some people just drink the koolaid to the point of losing all rational perspective. That’s why most libs are nonthinking sheeple just waiting to be directed by their big gubment officials.
Mike
August 28th, 2011
10:48 pm
I have got to get out of the South, and when I go I DO hope the screen door hits me in the behind so I remember not to come back.
I’m going west.
getalife
August 28th, 2011
10:54 pm
Yeah, I am the one trolling on a lib blog for the gop that will still lose after all their unAmerican actions.
So partisan I can’t cheer on America’s victories.
Nope, that would be you cons.
JKL2
August 28th, 2011
10:59 pm
getalife- He called for unity on the economy and the gop said no.
Everybody listen to the community organizer who’s never held a real job. He’s going to use his “laserlike focus” to solve everything. Free money for everybody!
Thulsa Doom
August 28th, 2011
11:00 pm
I think getalife forgets that for Obama’s first 2 years he had a full Democratic Congress with a pretty much filibuster proof senate. Yet getalife still drinks the koolaid. Hopeless I tell ya.
getalife
August 28th, 2011
11:03 pm
I am tired of owning you cons.
I am going back to lurking until some fresh meat shows up.
JKL2
August 28th, 2011
11:06 pm
getalife- unAmerican actions
I forget. Who was it that said they wanted to “fundamentally change America?
Thulsa Doom
August 28th, 2011
11:07 pm
I better call it a night. Getalife owns us cons with his masterful debating skills and well crafted arguments. Can’t get nothing by getalife.
getalife
August 28th, 2011
11:09 pm
Finally.
The truth.
JKL2
August 28th, 2011
11:17 pm
Thulsa- Getalife owns us cons with his masterful debating skills and well crafted arguments.
I know. It’s like debating with my wife. Just think “what would a man do” then take out all common sense and rationality.
RW-(the original)
August 28th, 2011
11:17 pm
I am going back to lurking until some fresh meat shows up.
I’m yer huckleberry.
What’s the debate?
Jm
August 28th, 2011
11:52 pm
When is jay going to write that follow up post about how republicans actually refused assistance to the states hit by Irene?……………
getalife
August 29th, 2011
12:07 am
RW,
You make my head spin too bad.
Your arguments make me dizzy.
I’m lurking.
Dave R. - 3k/4k/5k
August 29th, 2011
12:17 am
“By the way, I really like Dave R.’s new nom de blogue, Zap Rowsdower (huh?). Poor old Dave doesn’t realize his writing style is more pronounced than his name. So easy to recognize.”
I know this is typical for you, Sooth, but you’re wrong AGAIN! btw, Zap’s “writing” (if I could call it that), resembles nothing I ever posted.
I’m having a GREAT time over at the Adult Table, aka Kyle Wingfield’s blog (although I do miss josef and Brosephus).
And after reviewing this evening’s input over here at The Children’s Table, I can see that nothing has changed one bit. At least most of the posts over there contain enough serious thought and analysis that it requires the use of paragraphs.
getalife
August 29th, 2011
12:22 am
Great idea Dave R,
I perfect place for you.
Tell Andy I said hi.
Joe the Plutocrat (but not a truther)
August 29th, 2011
6:49 am
excuse the breach of protocol, but md, your comment about 9/11 is insulting. yep, the planning of the 9/11 attacks most certainly begain before Bush was elected/sowrn in; but you are aware of this information about Zacharius Moussaui (”the 20th hijacker): “On August 16, 2001, Moussaoui was arrested by Harry Samit of the FBI and INS agents in Minnesota and charged with an immigration violation. Materials itemized when he was arrested included a laptop computer, two knives, flight manuals pertaining to Boeing’s 747 aircraft, a flight simulator computer program, fighting gloves and shin guards, and a computer disk with information about crop dusting. Some agents worried that his flight training had violent intentions, so the Minnesota bureau tried to get permission (sending over 70 emails in a week) to search his laptop, but they were turned down.” Hint; they weren’t “turned down” by Bill Clinton. we also know that same month the famous “bin Laden determined to strike” NSC memo was issued that same month. no sir, 9/11 happened on Bush’s watch. in fact, I amend my previous post; it wasn’t apathy; it was derilection of duty and pround incompetence.
Granny Godzilla
August 29th, 2011
7:19 am
Great Job this weekend by both the federal and local governments.
We should all be proud of the US response to Irene.
God Bless us everyone!
Good Little Liberal
August 29th, 2011
7:24 am
Joe the Plutocrat (but not a truther)
Let’s get this straight. An anti-Bushie is saying that releasing an illegal alien is derilection of duty and incompetance, and the president should be held persoannly responsible for it.
Wow. looks like Obama is in a whole lot of trouble.
Jay
August 29th, 2011
7:29 am
jm, from the Washington Post today:
“With less than $1 billion currently available for federal disaster assistance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is temporarily suspending payments to rebuild roads, schools and other structures destroyed during spring tornadoes in Joplin, Mo. and southern states in order to pay for damage caused by Hurricane Irene.
… The shortfall means the Obama administration will soon request supplemental funding from Congress, likely causing another fight over federal spending as a new “supercommittee” prepares to identify trillions of dollars in government spending cuts.
Already House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has said that any new money for FEMA will be offset by spending cuts elsewhere.
“We’ve had discussions about these things before and [FEMA] monies will be offset with appropriate savings or cost-cutting elsewhere in order to meet the priority of the federal government’s role in a situation like this,” Cantor said at a news conference last week after an earthquake struck his congressional district.
stands for decibels
August 29th, 2011
7:30 am
Mornin’.
This is another edition of What Amanda Said.
With what looked like a 50/50 chance of a Cat 1 hitting the city, Bloomberg evacuated the Cat 1 areas. It was the correct decision. That we got lucky doesn’t change this.
I get why as$h0les enjoy screaming “overreaction”. It makes you feel superior, like somehow you have magical powers and just know better than scientists and experts that Irene was absolutely not going to be any worse than it was. But your pleasure at feeling like you magically knew before what you know now is toxic. It feeds the narrative Republicans are trying to shape up, that we don’t actually need government to prepare for extreme weather events like hurricanes. But I would argue Republicans got their chance to try that theory out, and Katrina demonstrated that they are completely ####ing wrong. Obviously, Irene wasn’t as bad as Katrina. But the problem with Katrina was that the conservative philosophy was in play—which is to assume the best possible outcome—and the worst happened. The liberal solution, to prepare for the worst and hope for the best, was in play here, and the result is that the death toll and damage was minimal. And if the storm had been worse, it would have still been minimal because we were prepared.
Democrats and liberals need to immediately start fighting this toxic narrative. Irene’s minimal damage is evidence that government, when run properly, works. Republicans are going to point to the low death toll and say that shows we didn’t need government. In fact, the low death toll shows that we do. Even smaller-than-predicted storms, if mishandled, have unnecessarily high death tolls. And while there’s no such thing as a perfect response to a storm—because that would require having magical powers to know exactly what’s going to happen—erring on the side of being overly prepared works. We need to say this, over and over. And we need to point out that our crumbling infrastructure will make future events more deadly if we don’t fix our problems.
Joe the Plutocrat
August 29th, 2011
7:34 am
GLL, can you read? Moussaui was arrest by the INS AND FBI. it was easier to “pinch” him for the visa issue, but he was obviously on the FBI’s radar; and as it turned out, with good reason. again, can you read? 70 EMAILS in one week! your infantile (anti) logic is pathetic. Moussaui was never “realeased”. he has been in federal custody since August 2001. I hate to do this, but back to the “kids’ table” for you. when you demonstate the ability to discuss issues as an adult, you will be more than welcome to do so with the grown-ups. now, go enjoy your milk and cookies.
Joe the Plutocrat
August 29th, 2011
7:38 am
FYI, I think there was a fair amount of “photo-op” posturing on the part of Obama, but nothing compared to the shameless Cantor. seriously, he should resign and allow the folks from NC – MA tar and feather him in a PPV event. excuse me, let his constituents do so, while the residents of other states throw rocks at him. I think it is safe to say that Irene was not Katrina, and I don’t think this is a dems vs Reps thing; but kudos to Obama for “expecting the best, but preparing for the worst”.
Normal
August 29th, 2011
7:43 am
Good morning all y’all,
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2011/08/28/funny-pictures-i-red-ur-jurnul/
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2011/08/28/funny-pictures-trust-me/
Normal
August 29th, 2011
7:45 am
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2011/08/29/funny-pictures-meds/
RW-(the original)
August 29th, 2011
7:47 am
Glad to see yet another headline screaming across the AJC home page that gas pricing are tumbling downward. With that being about the fifteenth such headline in the last month gas must be down to about a nickle a gallon I guess.
Happy Monday y’all
Later
Jay
August 29th, 2011
7:49 am
Fresh sheets
Mick
August 29th, 2011
7:50 am
As long time resident of s. florida and hurricane threats, I really only have one beef with the media hype, and that is 24/7 prognostication slanting towards the worst possible outcome. As a survivor of hurricane andrew, we have learned a lot about hurricanes down here. Being caught in the area known as the “eye wall” is where you will end up being decimated. Andrew’s was extremely small, 30 mles or so, but very deadly. Typically, an eye wall is about 50 to 80 miles depending on the storm. Think about that, 50 to 80 miles out of all the square miles a hurricane travels, odds are you will not get a direct hit and there are many other factors that can weaken the storm. Just use your common sense days before a storm and gas up, have water. Now that we have the weather channel for info, avoid the media and watch gilligan’s island or whatever. Every now and then check in with your local media to see the level of panic they are unintentionally? trying to create…
md
August 29th, 2011
11:50 am
Joe,
If you find common sense insulting, so be it.
Catching Moussaui in August and uncovering an elaborate plan in 3 weeks is wishful thinking. There was no indication of what the plan was other than one guy wanting to fly big planes……
You may recall that the US is an awful big country……with thousands of airports……..and one very porous border……….
As for denial by the FBI………it was the FBI attorney’s that decided there wasn’t sufficient evidence to take it to FISA…………..possibles crew-up……sure, but you make it seem as if it was on direct orders from Bush himself……………and that is just silly.