Daily Kos

Terrorism INCREASES under Bush

by kos

Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:14:22 AM PDT

Terrorism is up, but they didn't want to admit it.
The State Department is scrambling to revise its annual report on global terrorism to acknowledge that it understated the number of deadly attacks in 2003, amid charges that the document is inaccurate and was politically manipulated by the Bush administration.

When the most recent "Patterns of Global Terrorism" report was issued April 29, senior Bush administration officials immediately hailed it as objective proof that they were winning the war on terrorism. The report is considered the authoritative yardstick of the prevalence of terrorist activity around the world.

"Indeed, you will find in these pages clear evidence that we are prevailing in the fight" against global terrorism, Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage said during a celebratory rollout of the report.

But on Tuesday, State Department officials said they underreported the number of terrorist attacks in the tally for 2003, and added that they expected to release an updated version soon.

Several U.S. officials and terrorism experts familiar with that revision effort said the new report will show that the number of significant terrorist incidents increased last year, perhaps to its highest level in 20 years.

"It will change the numbers," said one State Department official who declined to comment further or be identified by name. "The incidents will go up, but I don't know by how many."

So will Armitage call a new press conference to announce that "you will find in these pages clear evidence that we are losing the fight" against global terrorism?
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  •  asdf (none / 0)

    Why does the State Department hate America?

    No, really.  Why?

    UNLESS

    by Marek on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:19:51 AM PDT

  •  Problems with Soros? How about Moon? (none / 1)

    (I posted this earlier but I thought it important enough to post anew)

    Here is an excellent piece about the self-coronation of Sun Myung Moon on April 4th. If anyone is unaware of Moon's significance, he is the founder of the Washington Times, an irresponsible far right newspaper that is nothing more than a well-funded, money-losing wing of the GOP propoganda machine.

    http://gadflyer.com/articles/?ArticleID=131

    What is important about this piece is that Moon, in essence, plays a similar role to the GOP that George Soros does for the Democratic party. Now, I in no way want to equate the two. As the piece documents well, although Soros may use his funds to further one party's objectives, he is obviously motivated by humanitarian impulses -- a fact the right wing echo chamber wants the public to think otherwise with a concerted, coordinated smear campaign against Soros. To intimidate other deep pocketed progressives/liberals from further funding our causes, such as Moveon.org, the right is now trying to distort Soros' words and destroy his reputation and then hang him around the Democrats' necks.

    Well, Moon is the true political millstone and we should make sure the public knows he hangs proudly from the necks of the GOP. Here are some choice examples of Moon's repugnancy:

    Now, this March, Moon was telling guests at the Dirksen Senate Office Building that Hitler and Stalin, having cleaned up their acts, had, in a rare public statement from beyond the grave, called him "none other than humanity's Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent."

    And ignoring every mainline Christian denomination's rejection of the idea of Jewish collective guilt, Moon's latest world tour calls on rabbis to repent for betraying Christ, the Jerusalem Post reported last week. Speaking in Arlington, VA in 2003, Moon said Hitler killed six million Jews as a penalty for this rejection. And he's frank about calling for democracy and the U.S. Constitution to be replaced by religious government that he calls "Godism," calling the church-state separation the work of Satan. "The church and the state must become one as Cain and Abel," he said in the same sermon.

    Now I'm waiting for the moral outrage from O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Hannity, Michael Savage, and Tony Blankley. But I won't hold my breath, especially from Blankley, who said Soros was just a "Jew who figured out a way to survive the Holocaust." He is the editorial page editor of the Washington Times.

    I live in my own little world...but it's okay. They know me here.

    by John Campanelli on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:20:00 AM PDT

  •  The Discrepancies... (none / 0)

    ...were apparently due to the handling, as the authority for this switched from the CIA to the new Terrorist Threat Integration Center.  From the sound of the department...I'm surprised this came out at all.  It seems to hold a 'Ministry of Truth' air to it.

    If you don't stand for something, Then you'll fall for anything.

    by Kryptik on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:28:10 AM PDT

  •  It's hard to be a "conservative" (none / 0)

    So what record will W have to run on this election?

    Not economy.
    Not homeland security.
    Not social safety net.
    Not environment.
    Not leadership.
    Not foreign policy.
    Not education.
    Not states rights.

    As far as I can tell, he hasn't had sex.  Yeah, that's the ticket.

    by AlanX on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:28:12 AM PDT

  •  Ummm... (3.50 / 2)

    Even the original report made it clear the purported drop in international terrorism was from a below-average number of attacks in Latin America and Africa.

    The number of attacks in the Middle East - you know, where Al Qaeda is most powerful - were up. There was no denying that.

    So it seems the original "fudge" was designed to allow Bush to claim a reduction in "international terrorism" -- but only if you look at the bottom line, and conveniently ignore the actual effects of his policies.

    Now he can't even do that.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

    Seriously, terrorism is bad. But the problem with the Bushies has never been that they lie; it's that they lie soooooooooo badly.

    They're incredibly incompetent. I could lie better than these jerks.

    As I noted before, these guys are not fascists, they're not smart enough. They're farce-ists.

    The Gas Tax Holiday is a Mental Vacation.

    by JimTXDem on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:32:09 AM PDT

    •  I don't think the problem is the lies... (none / 0)

      The problem is the willingness of so many to buy into those blatant lies that's the problem.  The whole IOKIYAR, 'them damn liberals', etc. mindset has become so ingrained that people don't seem to give a shit if someone lies, as long as they aren't a dirty dirty Democrat traitor.

      If you don't stand for something, Then you'll fall for anything.

      by Kryptik on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:34:12 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  The Good, The Bad, and the Liars (none / 0)

      But the problem with the Bushies has never been that they lie; it's that they lie soooooooooo badly.

      Maybe.  Maybe not.

      Remember - many Americans still believe Saddam had something to do with 9/11, that WMD have been found, and that Bush is a "regular guy."  I remeber seeing a poll where something like 30% of Americans thought that at least a few of the 9/11 hijackers were Iraqis.

      The Bushies know that th average American is too damn busy trying to scrape out a living to pay attention to anything but the simplest sound bite.

      This terror report correction seems like big news to us, but I guarantee that in 2 weeks most people won't remember ever hearing it, and they will STILL believe terror is DOWN since Shrubby started "getting tough."

      Sigh.

      The Core4

      by Dr Dive on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:58:10 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I wish I were you (none / 0)

        I can't read minds.

        Especially what those other minds will be thinking in the future.

        A lie is halfway around the world before the truth can get its shoes on. -- Mark Twain

        by jnagarya on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 06:37:11 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Psychics (none / 0)

          No I can't read minds either.  If I could I might peer into Cheney's soul-less black hole and.....no, that would be too frightening.

          Seriously though, I don't pretend to know what people will be thinking in the future.   My prediction is based on how things seem to have worked in the past.

          I hope I am wrong, I really do.  I hope the terror report gaffe resonates with the American people, and they look at it and say "Damn, those guys are liars."  It constantly amazes me what people can be exposed to in terms of lies, and how they can go on believing them even after the lie is exposed fully.

          The Core4

          by Dr Dive on Thu Jun 10, 2004 at 06:54:18 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Mostly they are saying, (none / 0)

            "I'm not interested."

            And underlying that, "I don't know who's telling the truth, and I don't know how to figure out which is."

            Add in the, "I can't keep up with it all" and "I haven't time."

            A lie is halfway around the world before the truth can get its shoes on. -- Mark Twain

            by jnagarya on Thu Jun 10, 2004 at 07:21:34 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

    •  Query (none / 0)

      They call all the car bombings, assassinations and ambushes in Iraq and Afghanistan "terrorism."  Are they counting all these "incidents" in the report?

      This aggression will not stand, man.

      by kaleidescope on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 11:11:12 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Fascinating (none / 1)

    Like those jobs numbers, eh?  It's all in the fine print, released weeks later after all the hullabaloo has died down, and the media has moved oon to trumpet the latest Great Obfuscation promulgated by the Bush Administration.
    What are the chances this will get played out on the national media circuit?
    I want the NY Post to run one of their fabulous 2,437-point headlines that screams, BUSH INCREASED TERROR
    The books written about this period will be fascinating, once the info is declassified and readily available (hahahaha!) in the Ronald Reagan National Library.  

    "My goal is to always come from a place of love...but sometimes you just have to break it down for a motherfucker," -RuPaul

    by persimmony on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:32:43 AM PDT

  •  Clap Louder! (none / 0)

    So will Armitage call a new press conference to announce that "you will find in these pages clear evidence that we are losing the fight" against global terrorism?

    No, because asserting that we're winning makes it true.

    Visit my damn blog: Dohiyi Mir

    by NTodd on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:39:47 AM PDT

  •  Many kudos... (4.00 / 4)

    ...to Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles).  Henry has been a workhorse in exposing the corruption and duplicity of this administration.  

    The LA Times coverage of this story
    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fg-terror9_jun09,1,7491026.story?coll=la-home-head lines
    properly credits him for chasing Powell down on this issue.

    As the ranking member of the House Government Reform committee, he has put what little staff resources allowed him to excellent work, shining the spotlight on, among other things, price gouging by contractors in Iraq.  

    You should definitely check out the database his staff compiled of the 237 misleading remarks made by the administration to justify the war: http://www.house.gov/reform/min/features/iraq_on_the_record/

    I think he offers a classic example of how Congressional Democrats, even in the minority, can work effectively to get the media to focus on the administration's lies and misdeeds.

    Hat's off to you, Hank!

    by tyroneslothrop on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:42:11 AM PDT

    •  Waxman (none / 1)

      Waxman, the ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee (news - web sites), told Powell that the number of significant terrorist attacks since 2001 hasn't declined as the department claimed, but risen by more than 35%. And he cited an analysis by two independent experts who used figures provided by the State Department report in concluding that significant attacks actually had reached a 20-year high in 2003.

      For example, the State Department report listed 190 terrorist attacks in 2003, including 169 "significant" ones. But Waxman said a review showed the report stopped counting terrorist incidents on Nov. 11, leaving out several major attacks, including bombings of two synagogues, a bank and the British Consulate in Turkey that killed 62 and injured more than 700.

      How many times have we seen Waxmans name when a question arises about the admin? This guy has been such a thorn in the side of Bush and Co. that I am surprised he hasn't ended up in Gitmo. I don't forsee him ever having a credible challenger here, but we should always keep an eye on him.

      by Mike S on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 11:23:13 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  I would be ecstatic (none / 1)

      If Kerry chose waxman for vp.

      by csh on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 11:56:45 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  that'd be amazing but it won't happen. (none / 0)

        He's great on policy, but not exactly what you might call a "looker", which sadly enough does make a difference.

        -C.

        by Neutron on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 01:32:34 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Pre-1960... (none / 0)

          Waxman would have had more of a chance...as in pre-TV.

          Maybe pre-1860 would have been better, except he would have been a Republican and Bush a Democrat (antebellum South).

          People in Eurasia on the brink of oppression: I hope it's gonna be alright... Pet Shop Boys: Introspective

          by rgilly on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 09:26:59 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

  •  On the Plus Side (none / 0)

    I never even heard about the report in the first place.  So likely most of befuddled America didn't either.  If the reveision gets more attention, America still won't likely notice.

    So if you're going to lie, shouldn't you make sure someone is listening?  Maybe not.

    REJECT FEAR!

    by David in Burbank on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:44:50 AM PDT

  •  Perhaps Dubya is Reagan-like . . . (none / 0)

    Several U.S. officials and terrorism experts familiar with that revision effort said the new report will show that the number of significant terrorist incidents increased last year, perhaps to its highest level in 20 years.

    Which means that ::drumroll:: terrorism is at its worst since Reagan was spreading joy throughout the world.

    Colin Powell had better watch his back.  Dick and The Donald (the one who should be fired) will not be happy.

    The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.

    by Bragan on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:45:22 AM PDT

    •  Belligerent Republican foreign policy (none / 0)

      I've always wondered why more people don't realize how unsafe for Americans the world was under Reagan, particularly in the Middle East. Under Clinton the threat was less personal and the targets of terrorism were more symbolic. Now we're back to random attacks against individual Americans, such as the contractor gunned down in Saudi Arabia yesterday.

      It seems to me the belligerent foreign policy strategy of military action around the world is what leads to this increase. Clinton exported help and hope, Bush is exporting fear and death.

      Kerry/Edwards 2004: Undo the coup!

      by kherr on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 11:10:42 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Ah, you just don't get it (none / 0)

        Hope is for sissies.  The Evil-doers only understand one thing, force.  We're actually winning the WoT because, as in Reagan's proud day, we're drawing the Evil-doers out into the open.  The world is one big fly trap and America's military might is the Big Fly-Swatter.

        Now where did I put that bottle of Old Grand Dad . . .

        The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.

        by Bragan on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 11:30:21 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Read it (none / 0)

    my blog post on the State Dept. report, that is

    It goes without saying that Bushco injects its ideology into the reports and policies of every department, this one included.

    A former armchair Democrat jolted awake by the Bush presidency.

    by bobinkc on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:55:16 AM PDT

  •  Short-sighted putzes (4.00 / 3)

    Of course more western targets are at risk now - We've managed to confirm all their worst fears about us - The ghastly spectacle that has been the war in Iraq has probably in the minds of so many, confirmed their worst fears about the US
     So the number of attempts on western targets will most likely continue to increase. Doesn't mean we can't stop them though - the old fashioned way.
     http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5163738/

    For more successes of this kind we need intelligence services from all over the world on the same page.
     We need far-sighted thinking - not irrational trumpetings of fear - because after all, these men we're trying to prevent from acts of terror are just criminals. Thugs. Hate-filled vermin. They should be treated as such.
     Their stature should not be elevated that way it has been in recent Bush and Blair speeches. He had the unmitigated gaul to compare this struggle against these criminals to WWII. I'm still stunned by the lack of outrage at that self-serving bit of idiocy.
     By the by, there's no such thing as a war President. What kind of cockamamie description is that for the executive in chief?

    "You call this bicameral government? Hah!" - Homer Simpson

    by karlpk on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:57:47 AM PDT

    •  I was going to give you a 4 (none / 0)

      But I don't see anyplace to give ratings any more.  Did Kos drop them?  Wouldn't blame him if he did.  They were being used to make fun of posts too often.

      I also wondered why there wasn't more anger over the comparison of the "war on terror", which doesn't even deserve caps, to "World War II".  Of course George W doesn't know that back then, about 6 million men and women put on a uniform, and industry produced 3 ships a day, 5000 aircraft a month, and who knows how many bullets, tanks, artillery shells, gas masks, etc, etc.  I guess Daddy didn't tell him that it just doesn't compare.

      I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat. Will Rogers.

      by tomathawl on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 11:27:46 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Exactly . . . (none / 1)

      BushCo is too childishly impulsive, too just plain id driven to ever contribute to putting together and carrying out such cooperative efforts. Y'know, I am a daughter of 1950s corporate America and this idea of the CEO presidency makes me wretch. Though I ended up a leftist anyway, my dad and I had conversations about the importance of business planning and patience toward long-term goals and health throughout the 60s. When MBAs started taking over the corporate culture during the 1970s he used to tell me how they didn't know anything about anything but short-term manipulation of the bottom line. And that's exactly what these guys do in applying their business model to the political sphere. Manipulating public perceptions is their version of the bottom line as an end itself.

      by csh on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 12:29:17 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Gallic Gaul Gall (none / 0)

      He had the unmitigated gaul to compare this struggle against these criminals to WWII.

      Which "gaul", Vercingetorix or Ambiorix?

      Or better yet, Vichy?

      People in Eurasia on the brink of oppression: I hope it's gonna be alright... Pet Shop Boys: Introspective

      by rgilly on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 09:38:15 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Asterix and Obelix. (none / 0)

        ...and Getafix makes their Kool-Aid.

        Never has it been clearer to me that this nation will get the President it deserves.

        by Scarpia on Thu Jun 10, 2004 at 07:20:04 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  he behaved like a frenchy? (none / 0)

        Thanks for the spelling fix - I knew something was wrong - As for the bad joke - apologies in advance - I want to say he behaved like Obelix - big, dumb, self-interested, trying hard but getting it wrong - but that's being too kind and the analogy is way off 'cause Obelix no matter his faults means well - Bush not so much - Bush behaves like a bastard Roman -
        I have to go now - I need to find out what in hades Vercingetorix and Ambiorix mean.

        "You call this bicameral government? Hah!" - Homer Simpson

        by karlpk on Fri Jun 11, 2004 at 12:58:02 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Which Fight? (none / 0)

    They may, in fact, be losing the fight against global terrorism, but is that the result they are really interested in?

    They are winning the fight to create further justifications for a police state mentality, for the development for more weapons systems, for a more terrified and cowed populace (or so they would like to think).

    So, losing can be winning, just as war can be peace.

    Is it November yet?  Or, rather, January?

    Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday.

    by Long Haul on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 10:59:13 AM PDT

  •  Lie #12,654,345 (none / 1)

    What a bunch of lying sacks of shit.

    The only consolation is knowing that right now, down in Hell, Ronald Reagan is puffing Satan's pecker.

    by The Fool on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 11:00:06 AM PDT

  •  somehow i think this will miss the headlines... (none / 0)

    ... but I bet the Kerry camp will play it up!  I am going to forward it to my dad who might finally wake up and see that Bush is not protecting us from terrorists and that the problem has worsened since he started his presidency.  

    No more Bush!

    by esherard8 on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 11:03:45 AM PDT

  •  You can't quantify terrorism (none / 0)

    It's ridiculous to suggest that we can measure the results of a policy on terror by how many terrorist attacks across the world there are over the course of 365 days. It's almost as absurd as saying that Bush must be doing something right about terrorism because we haven't had an attack on our homeland since 9/11.

    We really won't know the effects of the Bush administration's drunken policies for a good five years or so. At that point we can look at numbers and trends and compare them to policies.

    Instead, what we really need to know are solid estimates on the recruitment numbers of terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda -- those numbers have a much more rapid turn-around time than the time it takes to think up, plan for, and carry out a terrorist attack.

    The Bush Plan:
    Step 1.: Invade Iraq.
    Step 2.: ???
    Step 3.: Democracy!

    by the good reverend on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 11:21:56 AM PDT

  •  Friday Trash (none / 0)

    Something tells me the revised report will be released this Friday in an attempt to drown it out with the wall to wall Reagan coverage.

    by G Spot1 on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 11:57:29 AM PDT

  •  What the terrorists target (none / 0)

    What's interesting to note in the US State Dept.'s 2003 Patterns of Global Terrorism report is that the overwhelming majority of terrorists attacks are NOT on diplomats, governments or militaries. The vast majority of terror attacks between 1998 to 2003 were on businesses. I bet those statistics don't change in the new version.

    Franklin County Missouri Democrats

    by Rp on Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 12:26:34 PM PDT

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