I believe the Middle Easterners are very good at propaganda...

..especially propaganda that creates fear. Why else do we get all these tapes from Osama and Zawahiri? They always tell America that there is a plan to hit us. The politicians in this country always use it to their advantage. How many tapes have we seen in the last 5 years?

I think the Middle Easterners could very easily plan a fear campaign to freak out Americans. From what we have seen today, it would not be hard to do. "We'll make a bomb out of your shampoo and hand lotion..." and the whole country shits in its pants. Real or not, it has the same effect. My question would be: Would the Middle Easterners be capable of a propaganda fear campaign to scare the American people without the intent to actually kill themselves in the process? I think they could.

(edited for the politically correct crowd :))

by as you put it "the arabs"?

You don't suppose the Bush administration coupled with a consolidated media may be manipulating the public for their own agenda? I'm just askin'.

They may have known they were being monitored? The Brits had an infiltrator in their group. Maybe they suspected the "infiltrator" and passed information that they wanted passed on to the people in charge...

Why do people think a beheading that kills one person is barbaric while an assault on a town that kills a couple of hundred isn't?

which arabs are you referring to? All arab?? C'mon. There's no sense in labeling a whole people. Just like I wouldn't say that "all americans" are evil, war-mongering and money-hungry - just republicans! personally, I'm just as concerned about the Bush administration's use of propaganda, if not more so.

Presumably it would make us easier to attack if we weren't scared/vigilant. If their goal is carrying out attacks that kill Americans, they should be trying to lull us into thinking the threat doesn't exist. On the other hand, if they want our idiot administration blundering around the mideast and drumming up support for Islamism, it seems to be working.

Look at the attacks in Iraq. Some are simply revenge. Some are to show how honorable the attackers are, and how dishonorable the attacked are.

But ultimately, the religious factions on both side want submission. Unless you command the good and forbid the bad, you're not God's chosen people ... oops, the 'best of nations'. The other option is to be victorioius, but that's just the flip side of having the enemy submit. It's preferable to killing the other side--less work, you're acknowledged as superior, you get tax money and tribute--but if enemy doesn't submit, then what choice do you have?