Al-Qaeda offers US safe passage from Iraq

I mean, the guy said it was an historic opportunity, and we all know the shrub doesn't waste those.

fighting against the Shia, and more bloodshed.

and also remember he doesn't talk to other nations who is against him? :sarcasm:

If the WH calls within the next 24 hours they also get a set of ginsu steak knives, absolutely free! A $19.99 value! Operators are standing by.

Silly Al-Qaeda, don't they know you always have to toss in the free can cutting steak knives to get bush's attention.

;-)

They should agree.

They ARE the enemy (the real one). They need to be destroyed.

writ large. It would be a huge embarrassment to Bushco.

To avoid that embarrassment (and to keep our American empire and our base for attacking Iran), we'll stay in Iraq for the next few decades and waste countless more lives and dollars. Thanks Georgie.

That would gut the army and cost of hundreds of billions in replacement costs. Morters, heavy machine guns, artillery, rockets, shells, helicopters, tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, bulldozers, graders, tents, shelters, and ammunition stockpiles, all left behind. For the Sunnis and Shia to fight over.

No.

Far, far better to start withdrawing in a month or so (let the military set up the logistics) and be out by the 4th of July with all of our stuff.

This comes on the heels of a CIA prediction of disaster if we lose in Iraq.
If somebody wanted to derail prospects of a U.S. withdrawl, this would be
a nice way to do it.

George Bush has played so well into al-Qaeda's hands in Iraq, why would
they want to change things?

i don't think they could really stop us from retreating with our tanks & artillery pieces even if they wanted to.

this is where bush has put us - al queda is legitimized no matter how or when we leave that hellhole.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/22/AR2006122200905.html

DUBAI (Reuters) - The leader of an al Qaeda-backed group offered to refrain from attacking U.S. forces if they withdrew from Iraq within a month and left their heavy weapons behind, according to an audio tape posted on the Internet on Friday.

"We call on (President George W.) Bush not to waste this historic opportunity which insures you a safe withdrawal," said the speaker, identified as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, head of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq, which was announced in October by al Qaeda and groups linked to it.

The authenticity of the tape could not be verified, but it was posted on two main Web sites used by al Qaeda and other insurgent groups in Iraq.

"We are awaiting your response within two weeks of this announcement," said the speaker in the tape, which was dated December 22. He said insurgent groups would refrain from attacking withdrawing U.S. forces if they left within a month.

(more)

and it has, because monkey-boy can't figure it out. Back in '98 when it looked like Clinton would invade Iraq, and the PNACers had their letter, Osama released another "fatwa" talking about our country possibly invading Iraq using Saudi Arabia.

Osama wanted us to invade Iraq so that he could break us. In no other way could such small forces (al-Qaeda) take us out. Even using nuclear weapons, al-Qaeda would have to have hundreds of nukes to destroy America.

They couldn't do it, but we have managed to nearly do that for them.

We may blame Bush for Iraq, we may blame the Republicans in general, but there was a time in this country where 90% of the people supported Bush, and about 80% supported the invasion of Iraq.

As we can see that has changed over the years, as it has become more and more obvious to more and more people that we screwed up when we invaded Iraq.

Al-Qaeda wants us to run, but yet they also win if we stay and die. At least if we get out of Iraq, we;ll still have a military to begin retooling and improving. If we escalate or stay there, al-Qaeda use of the historical religious problems of Iraq, a proverbial land mine, will take out the Army and Marines. The Air Force and Navy won't be enough to protect America, either.

Therefore, this is no "offer". It's just chest thumping.

The leader of an umbrella organization for Iraqi insurgent groups is offering the United States a one-month truce to withdraw all U.S. forces from Iraq and turn over its military bases "to the mujahedeen of the Islamic state."

In an audiotape posted on Islamic Web sites Friday, a speaker identified as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Mujahideen Shura Council, said that if U.S. forces begin withdrawing from Iraq immediately and leave their heavy weaponry behind, "we will allow your withdrawal to complete without anyone targeting you with any explosive or anything else."

"We say to Bush not to waste this historic opportunity that will guarantee you a safe withdrawal," al-Baghdadi said on the audiotape.

The United States was given two weeks to respond to the offer.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/12/22/iraq.main/index.html

Bush is WAAAAAAY too proud to even CONSIDER something like this.

(And in all fairness, US policy is that we do not negotiate with terrorists.)

It depends.

I don't think pride even begins to describe the narcissistic, self involved, amoral, individual in the WH. MKJ

edit for those gosh darn commas.

Just saying we don't negotiate with them per US policy. Bush did create this situation, though.

occupation of their country terrorists?

I think you had something interesting to say, but I couldn't understand it.

Iraqis resisting our invasion and occupation of their nation are no more terrorists than were the French resisting German occupation of France. The misuse of the term terrorist and terrorism has resulted in the word becoming essentially meaningless.

double-speak. good post.

I guess they could be viewed as tactical freedom-fighters as well. Their methods would be considered terrorism if they did it in the US.

Wow!

This is unbelievable.

Even if the president were a Dem.

So I won't.

This oughta have 'em kicking their dogs and shouting at the kids in DC.

from the end of the article:

"The withdrawal is to be carried out with personnel carriers and passenger planes, with troops only carrying (light) arms ... and not heavy weapons," he added.

The speaker rejected any talks through the mediation of Saudi Arabia, denouncing Saudi leaders as "tyrants".

===

Now they're giving us marching orders?!?!? boy... that bush, heck of a job he's done...

to that nice new fortress, oh excuse me, embassy that you just built outside of Baghdad.

:wtf:

That's my guess.

Insurgents are Sunnis, therefore Saddam's old army.

believe that most Middle Easterners are still living in the dark ages, are backwards and uncivilized.

Too bad clowns like this are getting all the press and the average Iraqi who just wants his family safe and secure and wants his country back is totally ignored.

leave the tanks? give you the bases? Maybe you haven't heard but we got oil to protect, i mean, yeah that's it, oil. so f8ck off it's ours! - Dick C., GWB & friends.

We will not negotiate with these demons.
Those in trouble always bite the very hand that offers them the best option to get out of the pickle they are in.

but we're taking our toys with us.

Let's see how Bush would react!

Not that votes count with Bush and his thugs.

Oh, please. Just stop right there. This is a load, a big load.

He's playing mind games. But I really wonder what Sy Hersch would say about this.

Have the last people leave by airplane so the insurgents won't have time to find the deceit. When that last plane leaves, let the fun begin. The sky would be alive with the glow of phosphorus grenades melting down electronics, and metal.

Or

Specter gunships, hellfire missiles, bombs that spread carbon fibers to destroy electronics, would be "delivered" to where our heavy equipment is stored. Let's face it, a lot of the equipment is near end of life. Much of our heavy equipment wasn't made for desert warfare. We wouldn't want them to have crappy equipment, it would reflect badly on us.

cardboard tanks and paper airplanes. of course there would be a 20 million no bid contract to haiilburton for that. standard

cheap labor country.

I was grossed out by our president offering "congratulations" to this badly wounded soldier for getting a Purple Heart. Am I wrong?
http://seesdifferent.wordpress.com/2006/12/23/bush-congratulates-wounded-army-pfc/

From Reuters:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N23326234.htm



President George W. Bush (R) congratulates U.S. Army Pvt. First Class Jace Badia of Tampa, Florida, after presenting him with a Purple Heart Friday during a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where the soldier is recovering from injuries suffered in Iraq, in Washington December 22, 2006. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Welcome to DU. :hi:

How much longer, oh Lord, do we have to suffer this imbecile?

Al-Qaeda has no more say in Iraq than we do.

for not leaving.

Must be a great relief to the Saudi king, as well.

What codswallop. :eyes:

They are trying to manage the now de facto position that corporate media never got around to reporting before (for the last couple of years that is). The US is getting it's ass kicked in because it never had a real strategy for any accomplishment in Iraq. This de facto position everybody knows but nobody want to admit is that the occupation of Iraq is a failure and getting worse. Mostly I am kinda wondering why they have not started blaming Viet-Cong for the failure.

Even a dedicated but smart businessman knows when and why to cut when loss mounts. The days of effers and cons trying to make up reality as they go are over.

...bush.....and that will be that in regards to the impeachment debate going on here in the DU as well!

In your face Baker Report!!! :patriot:

- I don't understand why anyone would trust Al-Qaeda for safe passage or safe anything. How do you think they would use what weapons we leave behind?

There's nothing new to the story other than the ceasefire window.

AQ's war against the US has always been about the presence of US troops in the region, especially the places it regards as holy (Saudi) or central to Islam (Iraq).

That's why bin Laden turned against his former US ally in 1991, remember?

AQ's so far honored its undertaking not to attack European countries uninvolved in the war. Its interest is in the Muslim world. Foreign intervention's only been a recruiting bonus.

As for the heavy weapons, they're far more likely to fall to AQ's Shia opponents than to the Sunni jihad or to Saddam loyalists.

It's a sound deal. The US should have taken up the offer 15 years ago.

:grr:

there is not a bigger piece of shit out there than these texas inbred greedy liars- think musolini