You Big Tease
In the last week before the election, ABCNEWS is holding on a videotaped message from a purported al Qaeda terrorist warning of a new attack on America, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
The terrorist claims on tape the next attack will dwarf 9/11. “The streets will run with blood,” and “America will mourn in silence” because they will be unable to count the number of the dead. Further claims: America has brought this on itself for electing George Bush who has made war on Islam by destroying the Taliban and making war on Al Qaeda.
ABCNEWS strongly denies holding the tape back from broadcast over political concerns during the last days of the election.
Most likely, the tape is an empty threat. But this is hardly the time to dismiss it off hand, or withhold it from the public.
UPDATE: I should probably have mentioned that the speaker on the tape is, or at least seems to be, an American.
Reading the full report from Drudge, it sounds like ABC is trying to authenticate the tape before running it. In light of the Rathergate scandal and the recent NYT Qaqaa debacle, you can hardly blame them for trying to get all the facts.
What might the pundits be saying if ABC ran with the video and it turned out to be some prankster in San Francisco who filmed this in his living room?
And if it is “real”, so what? Who would be surprised? Only the foolish. Only the ostriches.
Bring it on, fuckers.
Too bad TradeSports doesn’t have a “major terrorist attack in the US by” selection of contracts. It would be interesting to see what people think the odds are we can make it through the election w/o an attack.
3 years ago, I would have given you 10 to 1 odds that we would have been hit by now.
Armies of the Religion of Peace, update
Um, yeah.
Question: how long before the John Kerry says something to the effect of, "the unwise actions of this administration have piqued the anger of Al Qaeda, as this tape makes clear. As President, I have a plan to, y'know, not pique…
Are we sure he’s not just a Red Sox fan?
Sorry Stephen…just couldn’t resist.
Given that exit polls of early voters shows Bush well ahead, I hate this new wrinkle because it will do one of two things:
1) Cause a backlash against Bush; or
2) Give Democrats four more years to bitch about a “stolen” election.
Does it sound like Michel Moore?
Its probably Karl Rove under the hood. Now Bush can justify the increase in the terrorist threat level and get his pre-election bounce, just like we all knew he would.
(And yes, I am being sarcastic)
(And no, I don
I hope it is just talk, hoping to scare us….
What’s this one, the tenth or so such threat since 9/11? Sure, be alert, but constant bragging and empty threats are the stock in trade of the Islamists.
Let us all hope they don’t have one of Russia’s missing suitcase nukes and are already in place and able to use it.
MSM – joke of the nation
MSM – shame of the nation
MSM – crack of the nation
ain’t u bored of smokin the glass dick?
MSM – joke of the nation
MSM – curse of the nation
MSM – libs in command now
MSM – are u gonna let them lead the nation?
MSM – cancer of the nation
MSM – i feel like a chancre
MSM – left is the wanker
MSM – cancer of nations
If they can truly inflict a catastrophic attack, is the timing (in days, no less) relative to the election all that important? My guess is that something primed to affect the elections here is closer to low-intensity (e.g. coordinated backpack bombs on buses). If they can light up Cleveland it doesn’t matter whether it’s this week or next, or last.
G-d forbid any of it, of course…
Remember a couple weeks before 9/11 when AQ sent a threatening videotape to a major US media organization?
Neither do I.
Great point, Denise. I tend to view any new releases from the Islamiwhacko Recording Co. with a great deal of skepticism; seems you can get any number of opinions on the authenticity of each tape from UBL and the rest, and hell, he’s been dead for almost 3 years now.
I have two totally unrelated comments.
1. This tape, if it’s genuine, is going to nudge a lot of people toward voting to re-elect. It’s a universal American perversion. “Oh, yeah? Well, I’ll show you fuckers.”
2. As to Denise’s comment, I think that’s a really great point, but I don’t think it’s necessarily persuasive one way or the other. With 9/11 and 3/11 and Bali and all the rest, the terrorists have demonstrated that they can strike. If they issued a threat, it wouldn’t necessarily be an empty one. A lot of Americans, like me for instance, are probably of the opinion that it’s a practical impossibility for the terrorists to hit us in the homeland, and would see such a threat as an empty one. But those who buy into Kerry’s “we’re not screening enough cargo containers” rhetoric might be scared.
TO: Stephen Green
RE: Thoughts on Threats
Rather than take up your bandwidth with an essay….
Here are My Thoughts
Regards,
Chuck(le)
Is ABC Burying A Story?
Drudge has everybody in a tizzy over this story. In the last week before the election, ABCNEWS is holding a videotaped message from a purported al Qaeda terrorist warning of a new attack on America, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
The terrorist cla…
It’s about time someone did the right thing. Let’s go progressives, take action! CONSERVATIVE SHITBAGS CAN’T VOTE IF WE KILL THEM FIRST!
I have alot of guns, and can get many more!
Do you really want to go out and vote?
Stephen, you should probably also have mentioned that the last twenty minutes of the tape feature “Assam the American” in a hooded three-way with Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson.
How many times did we see a smug Osama on film several years back saying approximately the same thing?
“Allah willing, the crusaders will be vanquished…”
“Allah be praised, their streets will run with blood…”
“Allah will humble them and make their shoes uncomfortable…”
“Allah blah blah blah.”
Allah hasn’t been very willing for some time now, it seems. Count me nonplussed and unconcerned.
I’m with Jeff Harrell on the likelihood of a ‘Oh yeah, well fuck you’ reaction. If I were paranoid, (or understood what CBS and the NYT were up to and don’t think ABC is any better), I might assume that ABC agrees with Jeff and I and for that reason won’t release the tape until after the elction that reaction has less impact.
‘..the election and that reaction has less impact.’
There is something to be said for the moral stand against publishing any sort of terrorist spew, be it some hood wearing psycho in the Mid-East or the Unabomber… no matter who it would help or who it would hurt in an election. I mean, it’s unamerican. They should have to pay for their air time just like everyone else.
And here I thought the tape was the whopper of the day at Drudge. Go look.
Missing explosives. Russian Special ops in the lead up to war. Oh yeah. Got to wait and see of course, of course. There’s a link to a Wash Times piece not coming through for me yet.
I knew this week would be a fucking circus.
TO: chthus
RE: Are We Laughing Yet?
“I knew this week would be a f—— circus.” — chthus
I told Stephen to relax and enjoy the show. It was going to be ‘great’.
RE: The Explosives
380 tons of RDX-esque stuff. Pricey. But not a disaster. There was plenty of other stuff around for the enemy to lay their hands on as well. If you hadn’t noticed.
Besides, considering what it was intended for, Saddam’s nuke program (it’s used for making nuclear triggers), I wouldn’t expect it to be stored where we could just walk in and seize it.
Like many of the other things associated with his WMD programs it had to be ‘moved’ before we got there.
That the Russians were in on the activity is an interesting thought, but not a surprise. Look at how closely they’ve worked with Saddam all these years. Look how they were trying to help him in the UN.
Wouldn’t be surprised if French and German special ops people were involved as well.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
[It is good to know who your friends are. And who aren't your friends.]
P.S. Thinking on it 380 tons is a bit much for nuke triggers. And now there’s a report that it wasn’t 380 tons of the stuff after all?
The circus clowns are having fun again…..
It sounds like the tape is predicting bush as a winner of the election or is it a tape that should be running after the election and they are promising blood in the streets since “bush got elected”
it’s all in the timeing..
UPDATE:
The tape has been authenticated by the CIA and FBI. Quick Poll: If they are really planning an attack, do you think it will before, on or after Nov 2?
Rusty – I think it will be after. The mere thought of non-U.S. citizens scheming to interfere with our election… why that’s crazy, man.
(my cheek is sore…)
I think it’s more likely to be sent for the threat value, the tape *is* the terrorist attack, it hopes to instill terror.
There are times I am just beside myself with amazed incredulity. (Really.) I honestly don’t know what these people use for brains, particularly as so many of them, supposedly, spent so much time in the US or Europe. They ought to have at least a *tiny* bit of understanding of “cowboy mythology.” Or maybe they do, and just figure that we aren’t *like* that… and they’d be right.
Normally.
But when people are pushed, they go for their mythology.
They go for John Wayne or Dirty Harry, for Mountain Men or Frontier Women, Calamity Jane or Wild Bill Hickock. Or else maybe the Irish cop, or even mobster style family loyalty. Or else future visions in our literature where the fatal mistake of the predator alien race is that they mistook passivity for weakness, when in truth the thin skinned monkeys from Earth gave up War because they were so very *very* good at it.
In between the other emotions after 9/11 I would find myself shaking my head muttering, “How could anyone be so *stupid* as to want us *mad* at them?” (“You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry!”)
It’s not impossible that we could be hit again, and hurt again, (and our borders can *not* be secured, so get over the fear, already…) but… but… DON’T THESE MORONS REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME?