The White House, GOP and their MSM allies now attack Democrat candidates, voters and the party as weak on national security by implying that they are all American Taliban. A CNN news anchor called Lamont the “al Qaeda candidate” while a nationally-syndicated columnist argued that Lieberman’s defeat “completes the capture of the Democratic Party by its Taliban wing.” And, Tony Snow and Dick Cheney attempt to deter future votes for Democrats by impugning such voters as unpatriotic weaklings who are refusing to fight terrorists because their will has been broken by al-Qaeda. So, not voting for the GOP and staying the course with Bush is a new definition of terrorist. But, what do you call it when Bush’s policies have actually resulted in the return of al-Qaeda training camps in Pakistan-Afghanistan that are even better equipped and weaponized than before the war in Afghanistan, as reported today? Does that make the Bush team al-qaeda sympathizers or enhancers?
The New York Daily News reports today on the “Qaeda camps surge.” Al-Qaeda training camps are not only back in business, but stronger and better equipped than before the war in Afghanistan. The terrorists are advertising their training camps with “slick new videos” that preach that Muslims should strive toward the “highest knowledge available, like nuclear or biological weapons.” The “appalling scenes” on the videos could be from bin Laden’s training camp in Afghanistan before President Clinton “pulverized it with cruise missiles in August 1998.” But, these videos were likely taped this year at the new, improved training camps located in the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The dating of the tapes as recent is partially based on the inclusion of a “chilling lecture by Abu Yehia Al-Libi, a Libyan and old Bin Laden crony, who escaped from the U.S. base at Bagram, Afghanistan, in July 2005.”
The new videos also show that al-Qaeda has expanded its intended audience to increase its recruitment potential by containing messages in English, French, Urdu and Arabic.
The new training videos are important because they are used to recruit new members, raise money from Gulf financiers and because the “tapes prove Al Qaeda is training new operatives in a safe place with little fear of being discovered or bombed.” As one expert stated:
“You look at that and you say, wow, there is no difference between today and what they had before 9/11 in Afghanistan.”
But, there is a difference. al-Qaeda has reestablished itself as a stronger terrorist group as evidenced by the “surge of suicide attacks in Afghanistan.” Al-Qaeda now has “sophisticated equipment” and a reporter embedded with US forces at the border indicates that “officers described well-trained opponents outfitted with reliable arms, medical kits, armor-piercing ammunition and Chinese night-vision goggles.” The videos show the terrorist fighters also have “bullet-proof vests and Kalashnikovs with silencers screwed onto the barrel.” So, al-Qaeda now has “new high-tech equipment.”
Actually, there are so many really big differences. Most of the global terrorist activity is traced back to Pakistan, as the recent London airliner plot. The whole purpose of Bush’s global “war on terror” was to capture or kill al-Qaeda to keep America safe. US soldiers have been killed, wounded, maimed and psychologically traumatized. Americans have foolishly surrendered their civil rights because Bush conned them into believing that loss of civil rights was necessary to win the “war on terror.” Indeed, there are many differences. The major difference is that staying the course with Bush will not keep Americans safe. The evidence is piling up that Bush’s policies are enhancing the dangers for Americans. It’s time for the Democrats to present that evidence in an effective manner to the American people, who will then make the wise choice that national security can only be truly achieved if we vote these enhancers out of office.