] The U.S. government has obtained potentially valuable new
] information on Iraq's biological and chemical weapons
] programs in recent days from scientists and intelligence
] agents confronted outside Iraq with threats that failure
] to cooperate could mean unpleasant consequences when
] Baghdad falls, according to two U.S. officials with
] direct knowledge of the effort.
]
] In a top-secret adjunct to an openly reported diplomatic
] initiative, U.S. and allied intelligence services
] summoned scores of Iraqi operatives in foreign capitals
] to present a stark choice. They were told "they could
] either 'turn,' " said one official, using an expression
] for switching sides, or be expelled back to Iraq "to
] enjoy your very short stay in Baghdad."

U.S. Reaps New Data On Weapons (washingtonpost.com)

] This war, should it come, is intended to mark the
] official emergence of the United States as a full-fledged
] global empire, seizing sole responsibility and authority
] as planetary policeman.

ajc.com | Opinion | Bush's real goal in Iraq

If you need a laugh during all of this...

The Gulf War Drinking Game

] About 1,000 U.S. troops launched a raid on villages in
] southeastern Afghanistan (news - web sites) Thursday,
] hunting for members of the al-Qaida terrorist network in
] the biggest U.S. operation in just over a year, military
] officials said.
]
] Helicopters ferried troops from the Army's 82nd Airborne
] Division to the remote, mountainous area as the hunt for
] Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) and his terror network
] intensified, according to U.S. military officials in
] Washington.
]
] Military officials in Afghanistan confirmed the operation
] was underway, but would provide no details.

There is action on the Afghan front right now also..

Yahoo! News - U.S. Troops Raid Afghanistan for al-Qaida

] "This is a very intriguing decision (by Beers)," said
] author and intelligence expert James Bamford. "There is a
] predominant belief in the intelligence community that an
] invasion of Iraq will cause more terrorism than it will
] prevent. There is also a tremendous amount of
] embarrassment by intelligence professionals that there
] have been so many lies out of the administration -- by
] the president, (Vice President Dick) Cheney and
] (Secretary of State Colin) Powell -- over Iraq."

United Press International: Top White House anti-terror boss resigns

] Six months after President Bush first appeared before the
] United Nations and urged a confrontation with Iraq, the
] United States appears to have lost diplomatic ground, not
] gained it, leaving it in a precarious international
] position as it prepares to launch a war.

Bush runs his house evil villan style. Take the Azores summit coming up as example. Has a sort of James Bond vibe to it all. And you know Bush is the type of guy who spent more brain cycles thinking about the villans in all those movies.. Maybe the bond girls, but most defintally not bond. I envision him doing that Dr. Evil pinky thing.. Ok, maybe not.. But I'm sure at these meetings Bush does all the talking.. Mostly telling what he wants to happen.. You know, CEO style.. That was his stich when he first got into office, wasn't it? And then we got Dick running the country from the switchboard in his bunker 500ft underground.. They really _do_ have that Hollywood movie global villan org vibe to them. I can picture Bush bumping coke and watching those movies with his frat buddies, smiling and thinking to himself, "some day.. some day.. I'll do it right.."

U.S. Missteps Led to Failed Diplomacy (washingtonpost.com)

Elonka wrote:
] And here's info that scares me even more, from:
]
] http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/hln.hot.hit.darryl
] .worley/
]
] Worley's single strikes an emotional chord with listeners,
] reminding them of the attacks of September 11, 2001, and
] suggesting a link between al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and
] Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "Forgotten" has lit up request
] lines across the country and debuted at No. 41 on the
] Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
]
] But the climb up the charts hasn't been a total hay ride.
] Worley's patriotic tune has been labeled "pro-war," and that
] leaves some radio programmers reluctant to play it now that
] the anti-war movement is gaining momentum.

Yep, thats the guy. Furthermore, here are the lyrics of that song.

] 'Have You Forgotten' lyrics:
]
] Verse 1
] I HEAR PEOPLE SAYING WE DON'T NEED THIS WAR
] I SAY THERE'S SOME THINGS WORTH FIGHTING FOR
] WHAT ABOUT OUR FREEDOM AND THIS PIECE OF GROUND
] WE DIDN'T GET TO KEEP 'EM BY BACKING DOWN
] THEY SAY WE DON'T REALIZE THE MESS WE'RE GETTING IN
] BEFORE YOU START YOUR PREACHING LET ME ASK YOU THIS MY FRIEND
]
] Chorus 1
] HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN HOW IT FELT THAT DAY
] TO SEE YOUR HOMELAND UNDER FIRE
] AND HER PEOPLE BLOWN AWAY
] HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHEN THOSE TOWERS FELL
] WE HAD NEIGHBORS STILL INSIDE GOING THRU A LIVING HELL
] AND YOU SAY WE SHOULDN¹T WORRY ABOUT BIN LADEN
] HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN
]
] Verse 2
] THEY TOOK ALL THE FOOTAGE OFF MY T.V.
] SAID IT'S TOO DISTURBING FOR YOU AND ME
] IT'LL JUST BREED ANGER THAT'S WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
] IF IT WAS UP TO ME I'D SHOW IT EVERYDAY
] SOME SAY THIS COUNTRY'S JUST OUT LOOKING FOR A FIGHT
] AFTER 9/11 MAN I'D HAVE TO SAY THAT'S RIGHT
]
] REPEAT CHORUS
]
] Bridge
] I'VE BEEN THERE WITH THE SOLDIERS
] WHO'VE GONE AWAY TO WAR
] AND YOU CAN BET THAT THEY REMEMBER
] JUST WHAT THEY'RE FIGHTING FOR
]
] Chorus 3
] HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ALL THE PEOPLE KILLED
] SOME WENT DOWN LIKE HEROS IN THAT PENNSYLVANIA FIELD
] HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ABOUT OUR PENTAGON
] ALL THE LOVED ONES THAT WE LOST AND THOSE LEFT TO CARRY ON
] DON'T YOU TELL ME NOT TO WORRY ABOUT BIN LADEN
] HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN
]
] Tag
] HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN
] HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN

RE: Propaganda Moment

The only way things could get more surreal these days is if SETI@Home finds aliens.

I just had another one of those "what the hell is going on?!" frenzies. This time, it was brought on by the end of Lou Dobbs Moneyline on CNN. I had mostly been ignoring the TV, I picked up on things here and there durring the commentary.. It was going into how the UN is useless, Libia and Iraq heading counsels, France, etc, etc. What you'd expect.. Then right after, it broke to a musical molment.. A country singer was doing some tune that I think was called "Did You Forget", while video was going of Sept 11th's greatest hits, broken up by shots of troops getting on planes, walling thru the desert, helicopters buzzing around, etc.. The country song is what really did it to me though.. I could get over the Bush'ness of it all. I wish I could like a video or mp3 of this.

] In Washington, the national security agency used Echelon,
] an intelligence system coordinated by the United States
] but involving several of its allies, including the UK, to
] monitor more than 10 mobile phones used by Mohammed.

There are also some other interesting links at the bottom of the page, which trace connections between the hijackers and other members of Al Qaeda.

Echelon Helped Capture 9/11 Planner

] Finally, there was a knock on his hotel door. "I'm the
] mystery caller," the visitor said, instructing Fouda to
] take a cab to yet another location, where he was
] blindfolded and driven to another spot in Karachi. When
] the blindfold was removed, he recognized Binalshibh and a
] high-ranking associate, Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Fouda
] stayed with them for two days, eating catered rice
] dishes, kebabs and salads.

This is an account from last September about how Fouda, the Al Jazeera reporter, interviewed Binalshibh and Mohammed in Pakistan last year. Binalshibh was arrested shortly thereafter, and now we have Mohammed too.

Al Jazeera Reporter's Account of Interview with Binalshibh and Khalid Sheik Mohammed