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my imagination is turning into my father..., 2008-08-19 00:44:46 | Main | Laos, 35 years later......, 2008-08-25 13:42:23 coulda woulda shoulda: the National Security Archives gets more cool stuff: A 400-page Sandia National Laboratories report on bin Ladin, compiled in 1999, includes a warning about political damage for the U.S. from bombing two impoverished states without regard for international agreement, since such action "mirror imag[ed] aspects of al-Qaeda's own attacks" [see pp. 18-22]. A State Department cable argues that although the August missile strikes were designed to provide the Taliban with overwhelming reason to surrender bin Laden, the military action may have sharpened Afghan animosity towards Washington and even strengthened the Taliban-al-Qaeda alliance. Following the August 20 U.S. air attacks, Taliban spokesman Wakil Ahmed told U.S. Department of State officials "If Kandahar could have retaliated with similar strikes against Washington, it would have." :: posted by buermann @ 2008-08-20 21:23:16 CST | link Comments: I enjoy the careful framing in the report, so as not to upset the weak, sniveling little egos of people for whom the answer to everything is cruise missiles, or Delta Force, preceded by and followed by cruise missiles. posted by Zomg @ 2008-08-26 09:56:42 | link People always laugh in disbelief when I explain to them that the Delta Force unit was conjured out of executive paperwork into its original state of failure by Jimmy Carter. They seem to think it was Chuck Norris' idea. posted by buermann @ 2008-08-26 11:19:11 | link go ahead, express that vague notion Name: Email: Homepage: Comment your turing test: