To further beat the GOP's dead horse of “fighting them there — so we don't fight them here” Sparky links to the NYT: Bush Aides See Failure in Fight With Al Qaeda in Pakistan

John Moore/Getty Images

A Pakistani soldier standing guard at a base in the tribal area of North Waziristan. Since last September, a cease-fire between Pakistan and tribal groups has been in effect, and troops have kept close to their bases.

By MARK MAZZETTI and DAVID E. SANGER
Published: July 18, 2007

“WASHINGTON, July 17 — President Bush’s top counterterrorism advisers acknowledged Tuesday that the strategy for fighting Osama bin Laden’s leadership of Al Qaeda in Pakistan had failed, as the White House released a grim new intelligence assessment that has forced the administration to consider more aggressive measures inside Pakistan.

The intelligence report, the most formal assessment since the Sept. 11 attacks about the terrorist threat facing the United States, concludes that the United States is losing ground on a number of fronts in the fight against Al Qaeda, and describes the terrorist organization as having significantly strengthened over the past two years.

In identifying the main reasons for Al Qaeda’s resurgence, intelligence officials and White House aides pointed the finger squarely at a hands-off approach toward the tribal areas by Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who last year brokered a cease-fire with tribal leaders in an effort to drain support for Islamic extremism in the region.

“It hasn’t worked for Pakistan,” said Frances Fragos Townsend, who heads the Homeland Security Council at the White House. “It hasn’t worked for the United States.” ..."

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Six Years After 9/11, the Same Terror Threat

By SCOTT SHANE

“In many respects, the National Intelligence Estimate suggests, the threat of terrorist violence against the United States is growing worse. ...”

• The Lede: Searching for Meaning in the Report
• Osama bin Laden praises martyrdom in video
• Text of the Report (pdf)

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WikiNews: US Senate to vote on troop pullout from Iraq today

July 18, 2007

United States Senate Democratic Majority Leader from Nevada, Harry Reid, has asked that the senate vote on the Levin/Reed Amendment at 11:00 a.m. (eastern time), which would begin a pullout of some U.S. troops from Iraq in 120 days, if the amendment is passed.

Currently, the U.S. senate is pulling an all-night debate on the Iraq war to decide whether troops should be pulled out of the country.

Despite the all-night session, some senators say that the debate is nothing more than a publicity stunt.

"Our enemies aren't threatened by talk-a-thons, and our troops deserve better than publicity stunts," said Mitch McConnell, a Republican Senator from Kentucky.

"We have no alternative except to keep them in session to explain their obstruction," added Reid.

Democrats are calling for a "simple majority vote" of at least 51 in order for the amendment to go forward, while Republicans want at least 60 votes.

Sources

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

• David Espo "Dems, short of Iraq votes, force overnight session". Houston Chronicle, July 18, 2007

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WikiNews: US congressman causes controversy by comparing Bush to Hitler

July 15, 2007

Congressman Keith Ellison

Freshman Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN), the only Muslim in the U.S. Congress, has caused controversy after comparing President Bush to Adolf Hilter, and suggesting that the Bush Administration may have been complicit in the terror attacks of 9/11.

Speaking to a group of atheists in his home district in Minnesota, Ellison equated the 9/11 attacks and aftermath to the 1933 Reichstag fire in Germany, which helped cement Hitler's power.

He carefully parsed his words stating that he would not 'accuse' the Bush Administration of planning 9/11 because "you know, that's how they put you in the nut-ball box - dismiss you".

Ellison, a co-sponsor of a bill to impeach Cheney for "high crimes and misdemeanors," described the Vice President as "the very definition of totalitarianism, authoritarianism and dictatorship" and further condemned his refusal to answer Congress' questions.

Ellison's promise: "You'll always find this Muslim standing up for your right to be atheists all you want," reportedly "raised eyebrows" among the 300 present.

Ellison later clarified that he believes that Osama bin Laden was in fact responsible for the attacks of 9/11.

Condemnation came quickly with Republican Mark Drake of Ellison's home state saying: "To compare the democratically elected leader of the United States of America to Hitler is an absolute moral outrage which trivialises the horrors of Nazi Germany."

Sources

• Toby Harnden "Bush like Hitler, says first Muslim in Congress". The Telegraph, July 15, 2007
• Andy Birkey "A Nazi Analogy is Never a Good Idea". The Minnesota Monitor, July 15, 2007
• Josh Meyer "Cheney claims a non-executive privilege". latimes.com, June 22, 2007

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As I don't consider Bush to have been elected either in 2000 or 2004 - the above works for me. We need more Muslims like Ellison I think.