I've noticed that hawks demanding that the US stay the course in Iraq have recently been saying that we can't leave Iraq because that's what bin Laden wants us to do. Mainly, but not totally, drawing on the recent Zawahiri letter which suggests that al-Qaeda sees an American withdrawal from Iraq as vital to their success, they conclude we therefore have to stay.
This is odd. I'm not expressing an opinion on the virtues of withdrawing vs staying in Iraq, but I can't help be baffled at this willingness to let Osama bin Laden determine American strategy.
I also can't help but think of this neglected passage from Osama bin Laden's October 29, 2004 speech:
“it was easy for us to provoke this administration and lure it into perdition. All we had to do was send two mujahidin to the Far East to raise up a rag on which ‘al-Qaeda’ was written, and the generals came running. This inflicted human, financial, and political losses on America without them even achieving anything worth mentioning… We are continuing to make America bleed to the point of bankruptcy, by God’s will.. it seems as if we and the White House are on the same team shooting at the United States’ own goal, despite our different intentions.”
Moral of the story: just because al-Qaeda wants us to do something, doesn't mean that we shouldn't do it. Make up your own minds, people. Osama doesn't get a vote here, any more than he should have in November 2004.
Otherwise, we're just caught in a Brer Rabbit game... and we ain't the smart rabbit.
Bizzabt ya kida.
Posted by: praktike | November 21, 2005 at 04:48 PM
Remember this gem from the debates?
I do. Apparently Bush has changed his mind.
Posted by: Blar | November 22, 2005 at 02:56 PM
Actually, I think we do bear a great resemblence to Brer Rabbit.
Just not the Brer Rabbit from this story. Perhaps the Tar Baby would be more appropriate.
Posted by: Netbrian | November 22, 2005 at 06:57 PM