WASHINGTON — US Vice President Joe Biden said Monday that Al-Qaeda had suffered potentially “devastating blows” with the killings of its top leaders in Iraq.
Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayub al-Masri, who had direct links with Osama bin Laden, were killed early on Sunday in a shootout 10 kilometers (six miles) southwest of Tikrit, the home city of executed dictator Saddam Hussein.
“Their deaths are potentially devastating blows to Al-Qaeda Iraq,” Biden, charged by President Barack Obama with managing the US drawdown in Iraq, told reporters.
Hopefully this devastating blow in the Global War On Terror will spell the end for Al-Qaeda in Iraq, an terrorist organization which didn’t exist until we started our Global War On Terror. I don’t know that there’s any particular reason to think these people can’t be replaced, but I don’t know they can. Believe me, I’m all for any kind of good news/happy talk which expedites our exit from Iraq. But it’s worth noting that many of the problems which have made exit planning so tricky are problems of our own creation. This certainly implies a responsibility to clean up these problems, but the greater responsibility is to stop doing those things which create more.
April 19, 2010 at 5:44 pm
On that topic.
Even if taking down the one-millionth al-queda “number three” doesn’t get us any closer to saying Bye to Baghdad, numbers two and one should remain on the list in the simple interests of justice.
April 19, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Yes! Let us spend billions in the pursuit of the pragmatic cost of justice instead of some stupid, emotional crap like feeding people or getting them doctors or some other crap that only communists want.
April 19, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Unintended Consequences, whoop, whoop.
I am unaware of the new quality policy option selections for getting out of the never-ending war. These policy positions are heavily constrained not only by their non-existence, but by the laws of viability in the current political environment. A good idea that can’t be legislated, executed, and survive litigation is not an idea. The construction of our republic makes it a bad system for new ideas and/or stopping old ideas/policy. It’s the money, it’s the construction of the Senate, it’s Federalism. The bulwark was supposed to be the well-informed public, but we are short.
April 19, 2010 at 5:54 pm
April 20, 2010 at 7:15 pm
http://www.truthout.org/remembering-fascism-learning-from-past58724
April 19, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Well fucking said
April 19, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Surely there is only one thing to do: Go buy another Robert Wyatt album.
Grip ‘n’ sip.
April 19, 2010 at 8:05 pm
There has to be a more humane solution than that.
April 19, 2010 at 8:47 pm
Au corvair, mon frere!
April 19, 2010 at 9:21 pm
I just can’t stop making the world safe for democracy! I just can’t help myself!
April 20, 2010 at 6:49 am
Yeah that whole AL Qaeda in Iraq thing. When Joe Biden sounds like Dick Cheney.
Listen: most Iraqis who are Shiites would just love to get rid of Al Qaeda Sunnis. All by themselves. And the Sunni awakening? They didn’t like A-Q or Iranian provocateurs. Duh.
Maybe time to fish or cut bait.
April 20, 2010 at 8:37 am
Let us not act rashly. The collapse of the American neo/pseudo/crypto-colonial empire is not yet complete, and the Middle East has not yet produced its Gandhi/MLK demagogue (in the older good sense of that word) to embarrass (I love the wound of that: em-bare-ass) us into relinquishing our selfish, delusional, murderous folly.
We are a great nation. Great nations will submit only to great collapse. If we are “lucky”, we will face an unexpected mighty hostile foreign power and will have to be saved by the EU, a show of weakness, yes, but at least it will make us appear to be the victim.
April 20, 2010 at 8:42 am
But because I’m kind of fond of Old Joe, I bid us observe this distinction (emphases mine)
“Biden said the operation was led by Iraqis, and based on intelligence that Iraqi security forces had themselves developed following their capture of a senior Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader last month.”
At the very least, this means, if at all true, that at least the bulk of torture was committed by Iraqis on Iraqis, and if *that* isn’t sovereign self-determination, then I’m Kleber Rasphlisberger and I have a unique collection of hand sewn third world forny sock puppets to show you here in the back room bathroom of this fine public conviviance.
April 20, 2010 at 9:05 am
So how many “Top Leaders” have there been? It seems like every other day they kill another Top Leader. Maybe they all are Top Leaders? So long as we keep playing into their hands, they’ll find plenty of recruits who will become Top Leaders someday.
April 20, 2010 at 9:18 am
They’re all Top Leaders the way all FBI agents are “Special Agents in Charge.” Everyone gets a trophy for participating!
April 20, 2010 at 10:38 am
Are they sure they didn’t actually kill 30 of them?
April 20, 2010 at 11:05 am
[!RimShot!]
April 20, 2010 at 10:26 pm
We have to fight them there so we dont fight them here.
What? What’re you looking at?
April 22, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Petraeus holding bunny-fingers behind your head.
April 22, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Oh, are you uncomfortable with your fucking war now, demotard? Un-FUCKING-comfortable? Wasn’t President Hopey McChangey and a Pony going to make everything better? Do you want a pillow? Maybe a nice glass of milk to make you feel aaaaaaaaall better? Hmmmmm?
April 22, 2010 at 3:48 pm
When did Obama run against War in Afghanistan? Obama ran on escalating the War. Werido. Who were people supposed to vote for to end the war? There wasn’t a viable candidate even on the ballot in 50 States. Fucktard.
April 22, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Don’t blame me. I voted for Kodos
April 23, 2010 at 8:20 am
Oh poor BABY! You got your widdle diapers in a bunch because you don’t have the fucking spine to stand up to you republicrat masters and betters? You need someone to tell you what to do?
Fuck off, you useless gutless little jellyfish. Go send $20 to ActBlue and vote for Obomba again, dipshit. You fucking deserve each other.
April 23, 2010 at 8:26 am
My diapers were in a bunch! Ah…much better. Thanks for your help!
April 23, 2010 at 8:37 am
Diapers by the bunch? Such a deal. By the truckload, the savings are tremendous.
April 23, 2010 at 7:15 pm
I met a boy wearing Vans, 501s, and a
Dope Beastie t, nipple rings, and
New tattoos that claimed that he
Was OG Liberal #1,
From ’02,
The first blogpost.
And in between
Sips of Coke
He told me that
He thought
We were sellin’ out,
Layin’ down,
Suckin’ up
To the man.
Well now I’ve got some
A-dvice for you, little buddy.
Before you point the finger
You should know that
I’m the man,
And if I’m the man,
Then you’re the man, and
He’s the man as well so you can
Point that fuckin’ finger up your ass.
All you know about me is what I’ve sold you,
Dumb fuck.
I sold out long before you ever heard my name.
I sold my soul to make a comment,
Dip shit,
And you read mine.
So I’ve got some
Advice for you, little buddy.
Before you point your finger
You should know that
I’m the man,
If I’m the fuckin’ man
Then you’re the fuckin’ man as well
So you can
Point that fuckin’ finger up your ass.
All you know about me is what I’ve sold you,
Dumb fuck.
I sold out long before you ever heard my name.
I sold my soul to make a comment,
Dip shit,
And you read mine.
All you read and
Wear or see and
Hear in nets or TV
Is a product
Begging for your
Fatass dirty
Dollar
So…Shut up and
Buy
Send more money
Fuck you, buddy.
April 23, 2010 at 7:18 pm
You tool.
April 23, 2010 at 11:19 pm
April 22, 2010 at 4:06 pm
I was kinda hoping you’d blow me, ackshully. With milk in your mouth.
April 23, 2010 at 11:24 pm