Al Qaeda losing its grip in Iraq...

[SUBMAN1]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1023/p99s01-duts.html

Interesting.

-S

Bin Laden lambastes Iraqi insurgents

Osama bin Laden's latest audio missive reveals that the US strategy of appealing to Sunni tribesmen may be working against Al Qaeda.

[Skybird]

Deja vu. Once again, things are said to become better. Okay, fine. I'll put it to the other reports in the collection. Next is the weather.

[sunvalleyslim]

If it is truly Osama, then there is a possible breakdown happening. They're beginning to feel a change. And He needs support.
The thing about the media is that very few times do they take a positive spin on anything that could possibly be viewed as good..........
Having been in the Vietnam War, I can never trust the media..............

[DeepIron]

What bothers me is that Iraq is now promising Turkey to work on the PKK problem... I know there are political issues involved but how are they going to do THAT when there are so many other internal issues in Iraq and Al Qaeda still to be resolved?

Stretching the Iraqi forces now is very divisive IMO... and would commit US/Coalition forces for an even longer period...

[Stealth Hunter]

Originally Posted by SUBMAN1

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1023/p99s01-duts.html

Interesting.

-S

Well this is enlightening news, indeed! Just takes time... and a hell of a lot of money.

[Chock]

While I'd like to think this is true, Al Quaeda (or however they are spelling it this week), are no slouches when it comes to using the media, and that presumably includes disinformation - a recognised tactic of both the security forces and the terrorists.

If Osama is claiming that, I'd put money on there being reasons beyond merely face value for him doing so. As it is, I wouldn't trust the guy to go and buy me a can of coke, let alone trust him to say what he means, especially if it appeared to be good news.

Don't forget the school of thought that offers the suggestion Al Quaeda manipulated the media into believing the Iraq connection, so that there would be an attempt to topple the regime in there (i.e. the coalition invasion), thus destabilising the country and opening the way up for radicals to get a power base in the country, which they will be free to do if (or more likely when) the coalition pulls out. I wouldn't put it past Osama and the boys to get the US, UK etc to do its dirty work for them in such a way. And of course they'll have known that was a possible option years ago, because unlike all the coalition countries, Al Quaeda don't have an objective which changes every time there is an election, so they can afford to plan for things over decades. It would suit them very nicely for the coalition to think they were winning at the moment.

Chock

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Stealth Hunter

Well this is enlightening news, indeed! Just takes time... and a hell of a lot of money.

the moment Al Quaeda is gone, shia and sunni will hang at each other's throat again. Too many open bills, too mujch religiously motivated hostility, too many foreign powers wanting to stremngthen their grab in Iraq, and too many years now where they say "I think their army is not yet ready, I think they need another years". As a matter of fact their army is close to nothing, and police and administration is heavily infsted with spies and AQ agents, and corruption and religious animosities finish the rest of what is left of any eventual "power" of the goivernment. And iran - anyone thinking they will give up their ambitions in Iraq just because Al Quaeda is gone? Iraq is one of the two actual battlefield between saudi Arabia, and Iran. Wether AQ remains to be a voice there is of little more than no importance. Also, AQ is much more than just Bin Laden. It is not even an organization in the main. Primarily, it is a school of mind, a way of thinking and perceiving life and the world. That'S why it is so dangerous. reports like the one being linked to simplify it too much, they try hard to give problems an appearance for which one hopes to have the tools to solve them. Else one would need to admit one has no appropriate tools - and who wants that? If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.

[P_Funk]

Originally Posted by sunvalleyslim

If it is truly Osama, then there is a possible breakdown happening. They're beginning to feel a change. And He needs support.
The thing about the media is that very few times do they take a positive spin on anything that could possibly be viewed as good..........
Having been in the Vietnam War, I can never trust the media..............

If anything that Vietnam war was the last time you could trust the media. Since then the US Military and the Government has done a great job of massaging them, 'embedding' them etc... There was that report on how the US lost the war cause of the media. The media has become a real apologist for the establishment in the last 30 years. Everyone say theres some liberal bias but there isn't (how can omni-corporations that own all the media want to be super liberal?). They might criticize the Iraq debacle now that its obvious and people aren't happy with it but at the beginning there wasn't ANY legitimate attempt to criticize the US's plan to go into Iraq.

So I guess you're right when you say "I can never trust the media", but I don't believe I think you're right for the same reasons you do.

Originally Posted by P_Funk

If anything that Vietnam war was the last time you could trust the media. Since then the US Military and the Government has done a great job of massaging them, 'embedding' them etc... There was that report on how the US lost the war cause of the media. The media has become a real apologist for the establishment in the last 30 years. Everyone say theres some liberal bias but there isn't (how can omni-corporations that own all the media want to be super liberal?). They might criticize the Iraq debacle now that its obvious and people aren't happy with it but at the beginning there wasn't ANY legitimate attempt to criticize the US's plan to go into Iraq.

So I guess you're right when you say "I can never trust the media", but I don't believe I think you're right for the same reasons you do.

I asked this question of someone else so I'll ask you because I respect your opinion also. How do we get away from criticism and move toward change?

Do we dislike the 'media' b/c we don't trust the message, or do we not trust the message b/c we dislike like the 'media'. Life is so complicated. Not meant for the weak of heart or weak of mind.

I know you don't reside in the US. Although you have a good grasp of our political workings, I'd be interested in hearing how you are/would change Canada.