Comments on: Fighting Smart, Fighting Stupid http://www.mahablog.com/2006/08/11/fighting-smart-fighting-stupid/ Making the World Safe for Liberalism Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:54:40 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: The Mahablog » The Reason Is Cowardice http://www.mahablog.com/2006/08/11/fighting-smart-fighting-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-569716 The Mahablog » The Reason Is Cowardice Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:59:16 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/?p=934#comment-569716 [...] bin Laden wanted. Bush couldn’t have carried out bin Laden’s plans any better had he invited al Qaeda into the Pentagon to plan strategy. Kamiya writes, Bush allowed a tiny band of fanatics, led by a turbaned bozo hiding in a cave, to [...] [...] bin Laden wanted. Bush couldn’t have carried out bin Laden’s plans any better had he invited al Qaeda into the Pentagon to plan strategy. Kamiya writes, Bush allowed a tiny band of fanatics, led by a turbaned bozo hiding in a cave, to [...]

]]> By: The Mahablog » Happy Mission Accomplished Day! http://www.mahablog.com/2006/08/11/fighting-smart-fighting-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-213039 The Mahablog » Happy Mission Accomplished Day! Tue, 01 May 2007 15:30:41 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/?p=934#comment-213039 [...] James Fallows wrote, Documents captured after 9/11 showed that bin Laden hoped to provoke the United States into an invasion and occupation that would entail all the complications that have arisen in Iraq. His only error was to think that the place where Americans would get stuck would be Afghanistan. [...] [...] James Fallows wrote, Documents captured after 9/11 showed that bin Laden hoped to provoke the United States into an invasion and occupation that would entail all the complications that have arisen in Iraq. His only error was to think that the place where Americans would get stuck would be Afghanistan. [...]

]]> By: The Mahablog » Wu Wei http://www.mahablog.com/2006/08/11/fighting-smart-fighting-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-75741 The Mahablog » Wu Wei Tue, 30 Jan 2007 21:27:10 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/?p=934#comment-75741 [...] I also quoted James Fallows’s “Declaring Victory” article from the September 2006 Atlantic Monthly, which I’m very sorry is available only to subscribers. However, I have blogged about this article here, here, and here, here, and probably elsewhere. In this article Fallows interviews a number of national security experts for their assessment of where the U.S. stands in its counterterrorism efforts. Shortly after this issue of Atlantic Monthly came out, parts of a National Intelligence Estimate of April 2006 were declassified and released, and as I noted here, Fallows’s experts and the NIE came to pretty much the same conclusions. [...] [...] I also quoted James Fallows’s “Declaring Victory” article from the September 2006 Atlantic Monthly, which I’m very sorry is available only to subscribers. However, I have blogged about this article here, here, and here, here, and probably elsewhere. In this article Fallows interviews a number of national security experts for their assessment of where the U.S. stands in its counterterrorism efforts. Shortly after this issue of Atlantic Monthly came out, parts of a National Intelligence Estimate of April 2006 were declassified and released, and as I noted here, Fallows’s experts and the NIE came to pretty much the same conclusions. [...]

]]> By: The Mahablog » Unspeakable Truth http://www.mahablog.com/2006/08/11/fighting-smart-fighting-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-75393 The Mahablog » Unspeakable Truth Mon, 29 Jan 2007 19:23:32 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/?p=934#comment-75393 [...] The point that Professor Bell only mentions, but which is critical, is that our overreaction is hurting us more than it’s hurting them. Several antiterrorism experts interviewed by James Fallows for this September 2006 Atlantic Monthly article made the same point most urgently. I blogged about this article here, here, and here, and probably elsewhere. Here’s an excerpt: No modern nation is immune to politically inspired violence, and even the best-executed antiterrorism strategy will not be airtight. [...] [...] The point that Professor Bell only mentions, but which is critical, is that our overreaction is hurting us more than it’s hurting them. Several antiterrorism experts interviewed by James Fallows for this September 2006 Atlantic Monthly article made the same point most urgently. I blogged about this article here, here, and here, and probably elsewhere. Here’s an excerpt: No modern nation is immune to politically inspired violence, and even the best-executed antiterrorism strategy will not be airtight. [...]

]]> By: The Mahablog » News That Isn’t News http://www.mahablog.com/2006/08/11/fighting-smart-fighting-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-34935 The Mahablog » News That Isn’t News Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:12:37 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/?p=934#comment-34935 [...] From DeYoung’s and Mazzetti’s articles, it seems the NIE came to the same general conclusions as the experts consulted in James Fallows’s recent Atlantic Monthly article on national security. I blogged about this article here, here, and here, and probably elsewhere. [...] [...] From DeYoung’s and Mazzetti’s articles, it seems the NIE came to the same general conclusions as the experts consulted in James Fallows’s recent Atlantic Monthly article on national security. I blogged about this article here, here, and here, and probably elsewhere. [...]

]]> By: Joker9 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/08/11/fighting-smart-fighting-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-26312 Joker9 Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:58:39 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/?p=934#comment-26312 Based on the real terrorist activity in Great Britain, I am surprised that Dick Cheney has not advocated an invasion of the Isles. At least there is some evidence for this proposal vice the last war we started...Joker9 Based on the real terrorist activity in Great Britain, I am surprised that Dick Cheney has not advocated an invasion of the Isles. At least there is some evidence for this proposal vice the last war we started…Joker9

]]> By: FungiFromYuggoth http://www.mahablog.com/2006/08/11/fighting-smart-fighting-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-25881 FungiFromYuggoth Mon, 14 Aug 2006 01:57:27 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/?p=934#comment-25881 Donna - not only was Dick Cheney involved in that, but evidence suggests that <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0906/p01s02-wosc.html" rel="nofollow">the US lied about or faked the satellite pictures to get into Saudi Arabia in the first place.</a> Desert Shield was set up to defend Saudi against Saddam's forces massed on the border - but other satellite pictures didn't detect any, and the US satellite pictures have never been declassified. Donna – not only was Dick Cheney involved in that, but evidence suggests that the US lied about or faked the satellite pictures to get into Saudi Arabia in the first place.

Desert Shield was set up to defend Saudi against Saddam’s forces massed on the border – but other satellite pictures didn’t detect any, and the US satellite pictures have never been declassified.

]]> By: Joe Stafford http://www.mahablog.com/2006/08/11/fighting-smart-fighting-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-25281 Joe Stafford Sat, 12 Aug 2006 22:25:07 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/?p=934#comment-25281 It's so refreshing to read the truth instead of the wrongheaded talking points constantly trotted out by the rabit right wing. There are still many minds out there open to the truth, just as there are still people who believe in evolution.Keep fighting the good fight. Terrorism can be defeated if we can only convince 51 percent of the country to fight smart. And fighting smart certainly doesn't involve randomly lashing out at the first convenient target and squandering money on mindless endeavors like Iraq, which has succeeded at nothing so well as padding the pockets of Dick Cheney's cronies. It’s so refreshing to read the truth instead of the wrongheaded talking points constantly trotted out by the rabit right wing. There are still many minds out there open to the truth, just as there are still people who believe in evolution.Keep fighting the good fight. Terrorism can be defeated if we can only convince 51 percent of the country to fight smart. And fighting smart certainly doesn’t involve randomly lashing out at the first convenient target and squandering money on mindless endeavors like Iraq, which has succeeded at nothing so well as padding the pockets of Dick Cheney’s cronies.

]]> By: Donna http://www.mahablog.com/2006/08/11/fighting-smart-fighting-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-25214 Donna Sat, 12 Aug 2006 19:55:16 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/?p=934#comment-25214 And it was, guess who, yep, the Dick himself [then Sec'y of Defense] who went to Saudi Arabia in 1990 and promised the Saudis that our troops would only stay near those sacred mosques a short time..... only, he said, long enough to handle the invasion of Kuwait and protect the Saudi interests from an increased aggression from Saddam. The Dick Cheney lied, didn't he? Watch out world, our promises mean nothing when we intent to maintain a strategic foothold over territory aligned with our oil interests, religious sensitivities be damned. And it was, guess who, yep, the Dick himself [then Sec'y of Defense] who went to Saudi Arabia in 1990 and promised the Saudis that our troops would only stay near those sacred mosques a short time….. only, he said, long enough to handle the invasion of Kuwait and protect the Saudi interests from an increased aggression from Saddam. The Dick Cheney lied, didn’t he? Watch out world, our promises mean nothing when we intent to maintain a strategic foothold over territory aligned with our oil interests, religious sensitivities be damned.

]]> By: The Mahablog » No Surrender http://www.mahablog.com/2006/08/11/fighting-smart-fighting-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-25174 The Mahablog » No Surrender Sat, 12 Aug 2006 18:24:32 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/?p=934#comment-25174 [...] As I wrote in the last post, Osama bin Laden’s beef with the U.S. began in 1990, when U.S. troops were stationed in Saudi Arabia in preparation for the Gulf War. At that time Bin Laden was living in Saudi Arabia and working in his family’s construction business. Bin Laden was outraged by an infidel army within the nation that is the birthplace of the Prophet, and he also turned against the Saudi government for allowing this sacrilege. In 1991 the Saudis expelled him from Saudi Arabia. He moved to the Sudan, where he made connections with other exiled Muslim radicals. The following year he claimed responsibility for attempting to bomb U.S. soldiers in Yemen. This was followed by successful strikes on the U.S. military in Somalia. [...] [...] As I wrote in the last post, Osama bin Laden’s beef with the U.S. began in 1990, when U.S. troops were stationed in Saudi Arabia in preparation for the Gulf War. At that time Bin Laden was living in Saudi Arabia and working in his family’s construction business. Bin Laden was outraged by an infidel army within the nation that is the birthplace of the Prophet, and he also turned against the Saudi government for allowing this sacrilege. In 1991 the Saudis expelled him from Saudi Arabia. He moved to the Sudan, where he made connections with other exiled Muslim radicals. The following year he claimed responsibility for attempting to bomb U.S. soldiers in Yemen. This was followed by successful strikes on the U.S. military in Somalia. [...]

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