They just got a different tool to use than we do: They kill innocent lives to achieve objectives. That's what they do. And they're good. They get on the TV screens and they get people to ask questions about, well, you know, this, that or the other. I mean, they're able to kind of say to people: Don't come and bother us, because we will kill you. Bush - Joint News Conference with Blair - 28 July '06

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Gwynne Dyer: Is There Light at the End of Iraqi Tunnel?

Al-Jazeerah: If mere rhetoric could bridge the gulf of credibility, President George W. Bush might have turned the tide with his nationally televised speech on Tuesday (June 28) evening. As usual, he strove to blur the distinction between the "war on terror" (which almost all Americans still seen as necessary) and the war in Iraq (which they are finally turning against), and promised the viewers that all would end well if they only showed "resolve". But the audience has heard it too many times before.

A majority of Americans now understand that the terrorist attacks in Iraq are a result of the US invasion, not a justification for it. Many have also seen the leaked CIA report that concluded that Iraq is producing a new breed of jihadis, trained in urban warfare, who are more numerous and deadlier than the generation that learned its trade in Afghanistan. So they don't believe the war in Iraq is making them safer - and they see no light at the end of the tunnel. Read more