Captured Al-Qaeda `Kingpin': MISTAKEN IDENTITY! [updated]

Unbelievable!  In the UK Sunday Times (datestamped tomorrow, GMT):

The Sunday Times - World

May 08, 2005

Captured Al-Qaeda kingpin is case of `mistaken identity'

Christina Lamb and Mohammad Shehzad Islamabad

THE capture of a supposed Al-Qaeda kingpin by Pakistani agents last week was hailed by President George W Bush as "a critical victory in the war on terror". According to European intelligence experts, however, Abu Faraj al-Libbi was not the terrorists' third in command, as claimed, but a middle-ranker derided by one source as "among the flotsam and jetsam" of the organisation.

Al-Libbi's arrest in Pakistan, announced last Wednesday, was described in the United States as "a major breakthrough" in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

Bush called him a "top general" and "a major facilitator and chief planner for the Al- Qaeda network". Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, said he was "a very important figure". Yet the backslapping in Washington and Islamabad has astonished European terrorism experts, who point out that the Libyan was neither on the FBI's most wanted list, nor on that of the State Department "rewards for justice" programme.

Un-F-ing-be-lie-va-ble.

(Cross-posted at BooManTribune)

Update 2:30am Sunday, EST:

TIME MAGAZINE
Online article dated Sunday 8 May; to appear in paper issue of May 16

Headline: Can This Man Help Capture bin Laden?

Sub-headline: The arrest of al-Qaeda's No. 3 raises hopes of a breakthrough in the fruitless hunt for his boss

NEWSWEEK
Online article dated Sunday May 8; to appear in paper issue of May 16

Headline: Got Him, Now What?

Sub-headline: Officials cheered the capture of Al Qaeda's No. 3 man. But what do we do with the growing group of top terror suspects once we nab them?

Aaaargh!! What liberal media?

•  How many times can we say it?

  Liars!

  Before the true believers start to hear us?

  by Steven D on Sat May 07, 2005 at 05:36:57 PM PDT

  •  It blows my brain

    I'm blowing fuses in my brain.  I can't believe the MSM can get away with this kind of shit.  A GOP drone, even more so than I thought.

    by Winger on Sat May 07, 2005 at 05:51:00 PM PDT

    •  one wonders

      how much they had to torture him to figure out that he wasn't anybody . . . important . . .
      

      by Deward Hastings on Sat May 07, 2005 at 09:59:50 PM PDT

      •  very important

        & very good point...

        they'll continue to torture him i suspect after that.

        they didn't stop in iraq.  just ship them to places where the prisoners can't be found (Guantanamo!) or just stop taking pictures!

        the most bothersome thing about his all is that the MSM did not call him on it.

        i no longer think that it's merely a conspiracy.  often times, i think it's just place incompetence & igornance.  

        the MSM simply doesn't know enough to call them on it.

        better to stay quiet than to admit your a fool, right?

        Bush, What Price Did You Pay?

        by krazypuppy on Sun May 08, 2005 at 09:56:33 AM PDT

  •  Whenever I read something like this

    I go to straight to the TIVO, pull up the last State of the Union address, mute the sound, put on "Liar" by Rollins Band and watch GWB proclaim over and over  that he is "a liar" and that he "likes it" and that it makes him "feel good."

    Watching it always brings a smile to my face because I know that he is finally telling the truth.    

    by bananagrabber on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:20:49 PM PDT

    •  The "arrest" happened to help Blair

      It was neatly timed on the eve of the elections, to remind people about "the real threat" to democracy.

      Ah, Orwell, if you only knew how prescient you were.

      by SteinL on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:24:32 PM PDT

      •  too many lies!

        i can't take it anymore!!

        by mott street on Sat May 07, 2005 at 09:14:15 PM PDT

      •  You're so right

        When I was in high school (1977) I wrote an essay about how 1984 would not prove prescient, and how we would escape the horrible fate described by Orwell.

        If only I were so optimistic today!  Never underestimate the power of a concerted and calculated disinformation campaign.

        by reichstagfire on Sat May 07, 2005 at 09:42:03 PM PDT

    •  I think that

      that particular Rollins song is the soundtrack to this administration.  great call - i'm gonna have to try it out sometime.

      by lapolitichick on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:26:34 PM PDT

      •  "I'll turn you into me"

        For a long time, I used to hear that line as "I'll turn you into meat."

        As it applies to this president, I think he's trying for the former first, and where that fails, he's hell bent on doing the latter.

        by cmlorenz on Sun May 08, 2005 at 06:27:06 AM PDT

  •  Declare War on the Pakistani ISI

    The other night I seen FOXNews' coverage of this story. All the lead-in promos, clips of Bush and so forth were hailing how we caught the #3 Al Qaeda leader.
    
    Greta had Mamoof (sic), their main Pakistani talking head, and he totally destroyed the theory that Bush, et al just stated. He said it was overblown and that we had absolutely no proof that he was the #3 of Al Qaeda, or even if there was such a thing as a 'number 3'.
    
    However, he continued to say this terrorist had replaced KSM in Pakistan, which if true would mean he is literally more important than Bin Laden. Futhermore, this terrorist allegedly attempted to kill Musharraf twice (once which Musharef I think used some RF-jamming technology to prevent the bombs from exploding in a tunnel). Killing Musharraf would be one of the worst possible things.
    
    I know Bin Laden never knew or met Yousef, and I think the same was for KSM. If this guy replaced KSM, then capturing him would be a major accomplishment.
    
    KSM/Yousef's family is the crux of Al Qaeda, although no one knows their true identity. Those two are responsible for both the 1993 WTC attack and 9/11. Of course the FBI played a leading role in the former, with their informant intiating the plot and actually building the bomb, long before Yousef entered (to meet with his still free Iraqi co-conspirators).
    
    Anyway, Bush and the gov shouldn't dumb down things so much, it makes them look deceptive.

    by unitedelite on Sun May 08, 2005 at 07:53:00 AM PDT

•  well, maybe they caught Chemical Ali again

  he's about due to be caught again--it's been over a year since the last time he was caught

  by benchcoat on Sat May 07, 2005 at 05:42:47 PM PDT

  •  LOL - hahahahhahahahhh n/t

    by Al Rodgers on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:53:26 PM PDT

  •  That's Very Good

    And thanks for the reminder, I think there are several of these characters we've "caught" several different times, only to find they're still at large.

    People were questioning whether this was the right guy as early as Thursday, as this NY Times story shows:

    [S]ome intelligence officials in Europe expressed surprise at hearing Mr. Libbi described as Al Qaeda's third-highest leader, pointing out that he does not figure on the F.B.I.'s most-wanted list.

    There is another Qaeda operative on the list with a similar name, Abu al-Liby, also a Libyan, who was indicted for an "operational role" in the bombings of two American embassies in East Africa in August 1998. (The surname, in its various transliterations, means simply the Libyan.)

    Our miilitary obviously is in desperate need of a crash course in Arab nomenclature.

    As to why they trumpted this capture so loudly, I think it's simply a case of so many things were going bad, they wanted to believe something had finally gone right and bragged about bagging this huge catch before ascertaining that he was indeed who they think he is.  Given that he probably isn't who they think he is, expect this to quietly be forgotten.

    "L'enfer, c'est le GOP!" - JJB, from an idea by oratorio

    by JJB on Sun May 08, 2005 at 05:46:12 AM PDT

    •  arabic nomenclature problems

      I wonder if the government hadn't fired a number of Arabic language specialists for being gay if things would be a little better in this regard?

      I think there are more than language problems here though and I can't see how it can be resolved. How on earth is anybody going to know that they have the right guy when somebody is turned in? There are language issues, cultural issues, and issues of mistrust.  

      by mimi9 on Sun May 08, 2005 at 09:37:20 AM PDT

•  So this guy DIDN'T plan ...

  one of the many assassination attempts on Musharraf?

  Word is that Abu Faraj was pinpointed when he made a call to an office in Tunisia a few weeks ago to arrange a contact with his sister and mother. Shortly after that call, Tunisian security agents swarmed that office to get information on his whereabouts. The person he called actually was not connected to him in any way.

  by Meteor Blades on Sat May 07, 2005 at 05:53:13 PM PDT

  •  No, he didn't...

    but he did sleep at a Holiday Inn!

    by dash888 on Sun May 08, 2005 at 01:02:33 AM PDT

  •  asdf

    Several reports Ive read say he was responsible for the two assassination attempts on Musharraf, but not the top Al Qaeda leader he was portrayed as.

    by Peter1 on Sun May 08, 2005 at 06:34:40 AM PDT

  •  Late Edition - Wolf still believes it!

    Al Libbi is still leading the story! Wolf still believes it's a big player!

    And Barbara Starr is breaking an Al-Zarqawi "associate" arrest in Iraq.

    How many times are we going down this road?

    by joejoejoe on Sun May 08, 2005 at 09:02:15 AM PDT

    •  Now I'm really confused

      I just saw "breaking news" on CNN during Wolf's show about the capture of an Al-Zarqawi aide.  But the picture they showed looked the same as the one I saw with the last capture.  Can someone clarify?

      by joanneleon on Sun May 08, 2005 at 10:30:10 AM PDT

      •  Wolf covered both stories

        Former CIA chief John McGlaughlin said that al-Libbi WAS a big target. I'm guessing al-Libbi is a big target as it relates to US-Pakistani relations but not big as it relates to Bin Laden.

        McGlaughlin linked al-Libbi to the captured plans of US financial institutions (banks for the concise) that raised such a stink during the Preznitdential Election. I'm guessing it's much ado about nothing and a planned distraction from the ongoing bad news out of Iraq.

        Never forget - Bush let Zarqawi go to help make the case FOR war in Iraq - the US military wanted to take out Zarqawi and Bush and Condi said no.

        by joejoejoe on Sun May 08, 2005 at 11:21:38 AM PDT

        •  Thanks for the information

          Thanks for taking the time to clarify this.  The names begin to sound the same, and sometimes they have aliases (this one is also called Abu Abbas which has to be pretty common!) and the picture they displayed for this person really looked similar to the last one I saw.  I think I've got it now.  And no, I won't forget.  And I agree with you fully on the fact that it is likely to be a carefully timed distration.  Just trying to get my misinformation straight.  Thanks again.

          by joanneleon on Sun May 08, 2005 at 03:14:18 PM PDT

•  Anyone know

  of any stories that our wonderful administration wanted to bury on the day the original news of the capture was released?

  by stevej on Sat May 07, 2005 at 05:56:58 PM PDT

  •  Nail on the Head

    Rove, anyone?  Look at the man's political career and you'll see this is a trademark move.  Beat bad news about your guy to the punch with trumped up (or blatently false) news that makes your guy look like a hero.  

    I don't mind so much the fact that we went to war for Iraq.  But come on... we charge in with minimal ally support, we rush straight for the capital, we don't secure the borders, we leave weapons dumps unguarded, we disband the Iraqi army to reform as insurgents, we are overly delinquent in training Iraqi armed forces, and we undersupply crucial equipment to both their soldiers and our soldiers.

    How badly the administration has handled the war itself is far worse than us un-seating Saddam without cause (the man was evil).  If we're upset about anything we should be upset about how our troops have been and continue to be unnecessarily exposed to extremely dangerous conditions.  

    Those are your sons and daughters, your brothers and sisters dying in our name and it's been a complete joke from the begining.  Bush deserves to be impeached and put infront of a warcrimes tribunal.    

     

    by nonoose on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:06:41 PM PDT

    •  Kerry

      John Kerry was trying to get the point across, I think, about how badly botched the war had been, whether or not you agreed with whether it should have been conducted or not.  Now, I happen to think that going to war under flimsy, let along false, pretenses is impeachable.  Especially since the American people weren't terribly interested in liberating Iraqis, but were VERY interested in protecting their own asses from those WMD, and especially since it is our own kids and their families making the sacrifice.  But Bush makes a TERRIBLE warmonger;  he doesn't supply the troops and he listens only to those with which he agrees.  After their FUBAR advice is revealed for what it is, he promotes them!

      While the wealthy get their tax cut, and their growing estates get passed on with no contribution to the infrastructure or governmental systems that make it possible for them to accumulate so much wealth, the people sacrificing for this war are being asked to have their children burdened with a $39,000 tax bill for each one that is born.

      by billlaurelMD on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:37:58 PM PDT

      •  This is sickening

        Especially how you've pointed out the sacrifices made by those of us at the bottom of the financial scale.  War is good business, eh? Horrible.

        by Margot on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:53:55 PM PDT

    •  Please think this through again

      I don't mind so much the fact that we went to war for Iraq.

      We're talking about a manufactured threat to justify an illegal war setting a dangerous preemptive precedent - -  for power and profit.  Nothing about this war was "for" Iraq.

      by debraz on Sun May 08, 2005 at 03:42:50 AM PDT

  •  Could it have been

    an election present for Tony Poodle?

    by Mnemosyne on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:38:52 PM PDT

    •  May as well have been

      a dump in is Darjeeling.

      by Mogolori on Sat May 07, 2005 at 09:31:25 PM PDT

•  Did anyone catch Tom Ridge on TDS

  talking about this guy? Interesting stuff, made him seem really key.

  Jon Stewart is an amazing interviewer of GOoPers. He is terrific.

  by ablington on Sat May 07, 2005 at 05:58:00 PM PDT

  •  Even better, Jon seemed to call Tom on this

    I downloaded that episode (BitTorrent). Jon said something like "there sure are a lot of number 3 guys."

    by realitybased on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:10:17 PM PDT

    •  Like the Spinal Tap Drummer

      or South Park's Kenny: The number 3 guy is always the one that dies/gets captured.

      That's because the Bush administration can only count to three:  They know the guy isn't number one or two, so he must be THREE.

      by LIsoundview on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:00:31 PM PDT

    •  I went back and took a look

      Since this diary is now at the top of the recommended list, I worked up a partial transcript.

      Tom: [mentions capture]
      Jon: The number three man apparently, Abu al Libbi.
      Tom: Here we've been looking for him for a long time, and, uh, they got him.
      Jon: Why is it they always get the, uh . . .
      [applause]
      Jon: Ah, there you go.
      Tom: [partly unintelligable under applause] They got him!
      Jon: It seems like they always get, if I may, the number three guy. [laughter] They got Abu Zabeta, [sp?] he was the number three guy for a while. It seems like the number three guy-- kind of a raw deal in al Qaeda.
      [. . . lame ad lib . . .]
      Jon: Were you aware of this guy?
      Tom: Oh yeah. [nods head] Yeah.
      Jon: So this was a big one?
      Tom: We've been looking for him for a long time.
      Jon: And do they think he's got the key. . .
      [ . . . veiled discussion of "information retrieval" techniques . . . ]

      What do you bet that Tom wasn't really aware of this guy?

      by realitybased on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:39:20 PM PDT

      •  Amazing how

        that f'er talked about torture in such joking terms in that interview. Made my skin crawl.

        by lapin on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:43:42 PM PDT

    •  Bill Maher

      made note of this during his interview of Madeline Albright.  He also said something like, "doesn't it seem like the fifth time we've caught the number three guy?"

      Madame Secretary Albright is one hell of a lady, too.  Fantastic comments.

      by smugbug on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:43:44 PM PDT

      •  And didn't Madeline Albright call them liars?

        I was a bit surprised to see her be so bold. Maybe this recent Democrat courage thingy is contagious?

        by rogun on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:18:01 PM PDT

      •  Albright is one hell of a lady, isn't she...

        [from 60 Minutes 5/12/96]

        Lesley Stahl: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

        Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think the price is worth it

        by mrd71 on Sat May 07, 2005 at 11:09:40 PM PDT

      •  Number 4 moves up

        Once you catch number 3 number 4 moves up and is the new number 3. So if we just catch 5, 6, 7, 8, we'll have several number 4s and number 3s.

        If we go any deeper, like 9, 10, 11, 12, it gets confusing, but they would all potentially be number 3s as well.

        by NegSpin on Sun May 08, 2005 at 05:20:23 AM PDT

    •  Where do you ...

      Download bittorent versions of TDS?

      by Petruk on Sun May 08, 2005 at 06:21:34 AM PDT

      •  shuntv.net

        Registration is required. TDS is often available within minutes of its first airing in the east, usually available within a couple of hours, and always available within 24 hours.

        by realitybased on Sun May 08, 2005 at 10:24:47 AM PDT

•  So this guy is

  really a four instead of a queen in the famous 'deck of cards"?

  by shycat on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:01:16 PM PDT

  •  The Iraqi deck

    has nothing to do with Al-Qa'ida. :-(

    The Bush administration seems to have nothing to do with fighting al-Qa'ida. I'll bet the original claim of catching someone big got lots of airplay on Faux News, but the correction won't even be mentioned. ;-(

    by Danjuma on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:37:14 PM PDT

    •  Oh!

      Somehow I got them confused- Iraq/ Al Queda- you know it's all the same , right?
      /sarcasm

      by shycat on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:46:14 PM PDT

•  Link doesn't work!

  Are you sure you typed it right?  I'm trying to put it on another board...

  by BlueEngineerInOhio on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:03:33 PM PDT

  •  Times site seems to be down...

    Thanks for the heads-up.  I double-checked the link, and it seems correct.  But you're right: for some reason, http://www.timesonline.co.uk seems to be down now.

    by Winger on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:07:47 PM PDT

•  So how much coverage

  will this get from the big giant heads tomorrow morning?

  by incertus on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:08:27 PM PDT

  •  Was probably purposeful misinformation

    in the first place.  And if the "mistake" is admitted publicly, like a retraction, it will never be seen by most people, I would guess.  The average American, assuming they even knew this guy was caught, will never hear about the mistaken identity.  

    It makes me ill.  I have no confidence, none at all.  What's sad is that either way it's horrific - mistake or planned.  

    But I'm more inclined to think it was not a mistake at all, but a planned piece of misinformation to give people a false sense of confidence in Bush when his ratings are slumping and the bombings and attacks in Iraq are increasing and capturing attention.  Has a Rovian smell to it.

    And where is bin Laden anyway?

    by joanneleon on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:34:12 PM PDT

•  Brisard is no joke

  He is one of the top French terrorism analysts. He has a book coming out about Zarqawi at the end of next month by the way.

  http://tinylink.com/?uV1yzRjNEp

  by ECH on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:08:31 PM PDT

•  I wonder some times

  This kind of stuff makes me wonder if they caught the real Saddam or just one of his stand ins.  We'll never really know for sure.  Whenever they capture anyone anymore I just treat it like I do when the raise the terror alert.  It just passes me by.  This administration has cried wolf too many times to ever believe anything they say.  It's hell when you can't believe in your own government.  We are beginning to get a taste of  what Iraqi's felt like while living under Saddam.

  by CD in TX on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:19:53 PM PDT

  •  I'm sure they caught

    the real Saddam.  What I want to know is, what happened to all his doubles?  Men who had plastic surgery to increase their resemblance...why were there no fake Saddams captured or killed?

    by hazey on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:36:47 PM PDT

    •  Looking like Saddam was probably

      a pretty safe bet until the regime fell. I'm fairly sure the day after it all crashed though, if you looked like Saddam, you probably died your hair blue, slapped on a funny red nose and wore clown make-up. A lot of people were chomping for revenge. I doubt you'd want to look like Saddam anymore.

      by Dont Just Stand There on Sun May 08, 2005 at 07:08:06 AM PDT

•  I think

  I think a Kossian was on to this right away.  I remember reading him/her questioning the fact that the guy wasn't even on some terrorist list.  

  by lilnubber on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:29:35 PM PDT

  •  It was Cecil Vortex

    Here was his comment on 05/04/05:

    . .  but what I can't figure out is (1) how is it possible that his photo could look so much like a painting from an '80s graphic novel like, say, Moonshadow and (2) how is it that he's the #3 feller and none of us ever heard of him before this week?

    by lilnubber on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:34:56 PM PDT

  •  me too

    damn-who was that masked wo/man?

    by Miss Devore on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:24:39 PM PDT

•  Soj

  caught it right away.

  by shycat on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:33:37 PM PDT

  •  Correct

    Soj posted this diary here a few hours after al-Nobody's capture was announced:

    The only problem is that I can't seem to find this guy listed on the FBI's Most Wanted List at all... and he's allegedly the #3 Al-Qaeda man?

    . . .

    This guy is supposed to be "behind" the 9/11 attacks in the US.. why does not appear on any American websites, as far as I can find out?

    by socal on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:31:59 PM PDT

    •  So did McQ

      In this diary

      http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/4/144027/8450

      by NYC Sophia on Sun May 08, 2005 at 03:50:40 AM PDT

  •  Ah, yes

    This is the one I had read.  The search function doesn't seem to be working too well.  

    by lilnubber on Sun May 08, 2005 at 04:20:48 AM PDT

•  what dubya meant...

  Maybe what he meant to say was that it was a critical victory in the war on

  error.

  I swear, NOTHING surprises me any more with these clowns.

  by sheba on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:34:17 PM PDT

•  I won't hold my breath waiting for a correction

  from Team Duhbya.

  by grytpype on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:39:14 PM PDT

  •  the correction

    He might be the wrong guy but still, the Pakistani's say he's "a bad man.  Very very bad man."

    by YankInUK on Sun May 08, 2005 at 02:04:44 AM PDT

    •  Wag your finger when you say it!

      Snapple?
      "No, too fruity."

      by Dont Just Stand There on Sun May 08, 2005 at 07:12:52 AM PDT

      •  asdf

        Well, I'm glad somebody got it!  I guess I should called it the "double Simpson's defense":  

        1.  Very very baaaad man.

        2.  Not my fault!

        by YankInUK on Sun May 08, 2005 at 08:19:12 AM PDT

•  The age old question:

  Are they Liars, or just morons?  I am starting to think...a bit of both.

  by Jay Boilswater on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:42:16 PM PDT

  •  All part of the big plan,

    I think.
    Cleverly, Bushco keeps us tied up worrying about conspiracy theories and machiavellian schemes, when in reality most of what they do is a result of simple incompetence.

    by jeno mules on Sun May 08, 2005 at 01:19:36 AM PDT

•  Nothing to see here folks

  now move along like good kids. It's the f'ing weekend(Plus Mother's day) and no one will be around to read any of these revelations. Sunday morning talk shows? Forget about it kids. All the Daddy's and kids are taking Mom out to brunch...dontcha know? <snark>

  by Alohaleezy on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:45:09 PM PDT

•  Oops!

  I accidentally hit "unreccomend" without meaning to.  Someone else, please reccommend this for me!

  by Entheate on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:49:37 PM PDT

  •  Done!

    I hate when that happens.  I have done this once or twice,when i mean to click on "who recommended...? All better.

    by skptk on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:03:34 PM PDT

•  The kicker is

  that though his status as a high ranking Al-Qaeda "leader" may be bogus, it turns out they uncovered a treasure trove of papers revealing a successful recipe for cold fusion.

  by mrblifil on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:53:07 PM PDT

  •  which closely resembles

    the recipe for derby pie:

    Recipe: Bourbon chocolate pie

    Total time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour cooling

    Servings: 8 to 10

    1 cup sugar

    1/4 cup flour

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    2 eggs, beaten

    1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

    1/4 cup good bourbon

    1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

    1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

    1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

    1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

    2. Combine the sugar, flour and salt in a mixing bowl and toss with a fork until mixed. Add the eggs, butter and bourbon and mix really well. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Scrape into the pie shell. Bake until the top feels firm to the touch, 45 minutes.

    3. Cool the pie on a rack at least 1 hour before slicing and serving with whipped cream (flavored with a little bourbon if you like). Once it's cut, it can be reheated for better flavor.

    Each of 10 servings: 469 calories; 212 mg. sodium; 69 mg. cholesterol; 29 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 1 gram fiber.

    ___

    it's a pie thang, not a troll recipe.

    by Miss Devore on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:32:51 PM PDT

    •  Racetrack Mud Pie?

      What a timely (if untopical) treat.

      Psst. Can you get me the recipe for this confection, please?  (Speaking of liquored-up desserts. Bonus feature: kinda looks like a pirate, if you squint just right.)

      by musing graze on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:08:19 PM PDT

    •  really, you two...

      ...just get a room, will you? Want us to try the veal? AND remember that you'll be here all week?!!! Miss Devore and  mrblifil, thanks for making me laugh!! I sure needed it!!!

      by Newton Snookers on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:23:11 PM PDT

•  Speak truth to power, send this diary to everyone

  Send it to everyone on your email list, but don't worry about the cable news guys, I've already covered them.

  Ah, the joy of disseminating info with just one click ...

  by Joe Bua on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:54:00 PM PDT

•  Telegraph's Karachi sources swear Libbi's a VIP

  but so far, unforthcoming with the Very Important Secrets.

  Truth drug fails to get al-Qa'eda No 3 to talk
  

  One senior intelligence official told The Telegraph: "So far he has not told us anything solid that could lead to the high-value targets. It is too early to judge whether he is a hard nut to crack, or simply that he doesn't know more than he has told us."

  Al-Libbi had been beaten and injected with the so-called "truth drug", sodium pentothal, said the official. "They have tried all possible methods, from the 'third degree' to injecting him with a truth serum but it is hard to break him," he said.

  There are also details on Al-Libbi's skin condition, for those interested. Sounds like it made him a little bit easier to catch. Also note:

  Pakistan has ruled out his immediate extradition to the United States, and denies that American agents are present at his questioning.

  A government minister, however, told The Telegraph last night that British intelligence officials may be allowed to join the interrogation.

  "This would be done once we exhaust him completely and are satisfied that he is not preparing to commit a terror act in our country," the minister said.

  
  The Great WOT Coalition at work.

  by musing graze on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:55:38 PM PDT

  •  They are torturing him

    I mean, that's what it says. So this is not "out of harm's way" I guess, Mr. Bush?

    by seesdifferent on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:14:30 PM PDT

    •  Yes

      and when did Bush ever pretend to care about that?

      by musing graze on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:48:16 PM PDT

  •  Admission of torture

    is this not a crime?

    by lapin on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:47:49 PM PDT

    •  Anonymous admission

      Other media reports are sticking to the usualisms:  he's being questioned, grilled, or even quizzed.  

      by musing graze on Sat May 07, 2005 at 09:08:44 PM PDT

•  what dunderheads!

  The neocons are just a bunch of wild-eyed amateurs who have fucked up everything they touch! How do they keep surviving their incompetence? They get every damned thing WRONG. And of course they keep insisting everything is hunky dory, the earth is flat.

  And with the press being as deluded as the goobers, or just lazy opportunistic fucks who just want to keep their access, they're not looking at the FACTS!

  The goobers are running everything and the American people are sleepwalking through history.

  by bumblebums on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:57:04 PM PDT

•  #3 and counting on the hit parade

  I'm guessing Bushco planned to torture him until claimed to be the #3 guy.

  by JoeWPgh on Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:58:43 PM PDT

•  BBC profile

  is here.
  

  Informed investigators working for the Pakistani military say Libbi, who suffers from the skin disorder, luecoderma, and used the alias Dr Tawfiq, had not initially been considered a major player in al-Qaeda by Pakistani authorities.

  It was only through the interrogation of a number of suspects - arrested between January and August last year - that the Pakistani authorities started taking note of his presence in the hierarchy, investigators say.

  Still waiting for the Times website to get back online.

  by musing graze on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:12:02 PM PDT

  •  Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick...

    ...the man has a skin disease and they still can't keep the identities straight? Also from the article linked at the top:
    

    Another Libyan is on the FBI list -- Anas al-Liby, who is wanted over the 1998 East African embassy bombings -- and some believe the Americans may have initially confused the two. When The Sunday Times contacted a senior FBI counter-terrorism official for information about the importance of the detained man, he sent material on al-Liby, the wrong man.

    
    This would be comical if it weren't so effin' serious. Remember Chemical Ali? Remember dead, not dead, prosthetic limb, no, maybe not? Jeebus, it's like Dubya wants us to be the world's policemen and we keep winding up being the world's Keystone Kops.

    by sheba on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:46:08 PM PDT

    •  Yeah

      The Telegraph has a slightly different diagnosis for his skin trouble, but adds these suggestive details:

      He was on the run for more than three years before he was captured in Pakistan's north-west frontier province after trying to flee security forces on a motorbike.
      His choice of hideouts had become increasingly limited. He suffers from the skin condition vitiligo, which results in the loss of skin colour and which can become chronic in hot weather.

      Although al-Libbi preferred to hide in big cities such as Karachi, where he could live in relative anonymity, the heat and humidity forced him to return to the tribal areas where a large number of security forces are concentrated.

      by musing graze on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:55:11 PM PDT

      •  Same plot as a movie I saw

        Interesting, I remember seeing a movie where they once tracked down a "bad guy" who had a skin condition that required a certain prescription drug.  Ah, fiction.  It's all fiction anyway.    

        by joanneleon on Sat May 07, 2005 at 09:05:52 PM PDT

        •  The Dancer Upstairs

          may be the film you recall. It's based on a novel which is itself loosely based on the pursuit of the leadership of the Shining Path in Peru. The skin condition part is apparently from historical events.

          by realitybased on Sun May 08, 2005 at 02:01:30 AM PDT

          •  That was it

            Didn't realize that detail was based on fact, and was sort of dripping sarcasm last night.  Touche :)

            by joanneleon on Sun May 08, 2005 at 03:48:04 AM PDT

      •  doesn't

        MIchael Jackson have that skin disease?

        by Miss Devore on Sun May 08, 2005 at 06:25:47 AM PDT

        •  So he claims

          But as far as I know the loss of pigmentation tends to be patchy, not total, as we see in the picture of al-Libbi.

          by meg on Sun May 08, 2005 at 07:26:35 AM PDT

  •  "taking note" my ass

    Would he be among the al-Qaeda members the Pakistan government paid or among the ones that collaborated with Pakistan intelligence or among the ones that the Pakistan air force airlifted out of Kunduz or maybe all three?

    by debraz on Sun May 08, 2005 at 03:57:37 AM PDT

  •  Now That's Really Interesting

    Because these people who supposedly clued the Pakistanis in as to how important this guy was were obviously tortured, and you know how they say information gleaned through torture has a high likelihood of being useless because the victim simply wants to end his ordeal by providing his captors with information he thinks they'll want to hear.

    Classic Garbage In/Garbage Out syndrome.  And the Garbage Comes Out in the MSM.

    "L'enfer, c'est le GOP!" - JJB, from an idea by oratorio

    by JJB on Sun May 08, 2005 at 06:05:23 AM PDT

•  Honestly, I don't mean this snarkily

  But when they report this stuff I automatically think that the opposite has happened: I really did say to myself when this was reported, "Is there any more reason to believe this than anything else they say?" and "Why did Cheney say yesterday that Al Qaeda was still a big threat and today they tell us they have caught this No. 2 guy? What's the purpose of this?"

  We really have no way of knowing what is true and what isn't true, because they are consciously and systematically spreading disinformation.

  by lecsmith on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:13:27 PM PDT

  •  Raising Terror Alert Level...

    was getting kind of old. If the bitching about this is confined to London newspapers and sites like this, we will see many more #3 captures as Bush's approval ratings sink.

    by HL Mungo on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:00:58 PM PDT

    •  Remember behaviorism? The "variable

      ratio schedule of reinforcement" (e.g., winning at gambling)is the strongest reinforcer of behavior. I think we had stopped salivating at the terror alerts  so they had to think up something else. Now they are making everyone fear Democrats.

      by lecsmith on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:55:50 PM PDT

      •  All The More Reason Some High Level...

        democrat should bring up on tomorrows talk shows that at the highest level these incompetents do not know whether they have tracked down the King of Diamonds or a Joker. America should be alarmed. The difference between the democrats and  6 year olds playing soccer is that six year olds know where the fuck the ball is.

        by HL Mungo on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:07:57 PM PDT

  •  I'm Sure You're Not

    The only person who thought just that.

    I certainly did.

    One thing that needs to be stated is that organizations like al-Qaeda have mechanisms in place for the capture of these people.  They simply abandon safe houses, move people and assets (like money) around, destroy eveidence, etc., and within 72 hours, whatever the guy knows is useless.  If he hasn't talked by now, there is little or nothing of use to be gotten from him.

    "L'enfer, c'est le GOP!" - JJB, from an idea by oratorio

    by JJB on Sun May 08, 2005 at 06:12:33 AM PDT

•  I don't believe they are looking for

  Al Qaeda. I think Bush and the Bin Ladens have struck a deal--after all they are business partners.

  It's just handy for the Bush Cheney Junta to have Al Qaeda lurking out there (whether they are or they aren't) so they trot them out every once in awhile.

  Remember several months ago when Al Zarqawi (who was not originally with Al Qaeda but with another radical islamist group) was everywhere at once at the same time, and responsible for everything that happened in all parts of Iraq, and managed to get away just in the nick of time? My, his life is really like the "Perils of Pauline."

  by lecsmith on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:18:13 PM PDT

  •  If they catch bin Ladin

    the war is over.

    W's daddy lost his election because the war was over. If W's war against (Eurasia? East Asia? Who are we fighting again?) ever ends then there will be less reason to have the Republicans in office to end Social Security and loot the treasury.

    I really think the Dems need to nominate someone with unimpeachable security credentials and a clear plan to capture bin Ladin. I don't think I have to mention any names. ;-)

    by Danjuma on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:56:38 PM PDT

    •  As CNN reported

      Experts agree: Bin Laden is dead or alive.  

      The only "proof" we have of Bin Laden's continuing earthly presence is the videotape trotted out before the election.  And who tells us that the man on the tape is Bin Laden and who gives us the timing of the videotaping?  Our government.

      by debraz on Sun May 08, 2005 at 04:02:16 AM PDT

    •  sadly...

      NO ONE is "unimpeachable" to republicans.  They managed to smear a decorated war hero for God's sake.

      by DawnG on Sun May 08, 2005 at 11:00:51 AM PDT

  •  Yes

    I would not be at all surprised to find that he spends a considerable amount of time in Saudi Arabia under the protection of his family and the government.  Blood is thicker than water, and a lot of them probably don't disapprove of what he's doing.
    

    "L'enfer, c'est le GOP!" - JJB, from an idea by oratorio

    by JJB on Sun May 08, 2005 at 06:16:07 AM PDT

  •  the detail

    that caught my eye about the latest Zarqawi escape, is they said he jumped out of a running car.but then left his laptop behind. but they didn't say they had overtaken the car, although why they would go after a car when they have Zarqawi on foot, with one wooden leg, makes no sense.

    by Miss Devore on Sun May 08, 2005 at 06:34:49 AM PDT

•  In short...

  ....this is really, really, f'ed up....

  by Volvo Liberal on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:26:42 PM PDT

  •  Take heart! More big news from Buchco....

    ...Fredo Corleone captured! Third in command of the notorious New York crime family nabbed. The mastermind's capture was hailed as a major step in the war on crime. George the Lesser says that bringing this top man into custody spells the beginning of the end of the Corleone crime family.

         

    by Hillbilly Dem on Sun May 08, 2005 at 10:01:11 AM PDT

    •  Next stop - The Sopranos!

      by Volvo Liberal on Sun May 08, 2005 at 10:56:40 AM PDT

•  He looked as if they beat the crap out him

  whatever happened to 'beyond a reasonable doubt'?  I don't know of any situation that warrants cruel and unusual punishment.  There are better ways to mete out justice.  I'm shocked that no one else is shocked by how beat up the guy looks.  I'm horrified by the stupidity and the cruelty of my government.

  by SmileMaker on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:32:37 PM PDT

  •  I saw a discussion on Countdown

    about how he looks.  Keith Olberman said that there had been some talk in the studio about whether or not he was even alive in the photo.  The person being interviewed, a terrorism expert, said that yes he was very much alive.  I guess that he has severe eczema or a skin problem that contributes to how he looks.  But ever since hearing that, when I see the photo, he looks more and more dead to me.

    by hopscotch1997 on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:49:28 PM PDT

    •  He has the same skin disease ...

      ...that Michael Jackson does.

      by Meteor Blades on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:55:39 PM PDT

•  And what will the American public

  remember? I'm sure it won't be the truth.

  It was planned for a long time. They must be feeling a little down and wanted to manufacture a "victory" - Wag The Dog anyone?

  by CanYouBeAngryAndStillDream on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:36:08 PM PDT

•   But you see,

  this guy will help lead them to the capture of a guy who sorta kinda looks like a guy who once did some yardwork for a guy whose sister once dated a guy who once valet parked a car for Osama Bin Laden!

  by jazzmaniac on Sat May 07, 2005 at 07:59:09 PM PDT

•  Can't they just HIRE somebody to play Osama?

  Is Richard Libertini still around?  He'd be great at it.  And if some dork like John Burns claims he's too old, hey, dialysis in a cave ages you fast, dude.

  by KateCrashes on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:00:10 PM PDT

  •  GREAT idea, KAte!

    Maybe he could recreate his role in the original (and by far the best) version of "The In-Laws." God, what a hilarious movie!!!

    Serpentine, Shelly!! Serpentine!!!

    by Newton Snookers on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:28:34 PM PDT

  •  Edwina?

    Edwina Back in Bowl!

    (obligatory Richard Libertini quote from "All of Me"... nothing to see here)

    by ThatsNotFunny on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:56:40 PM PDT

•  whoops

  but then again these are the same guys who said that they had cobra comander headquarter caves complete with media room and cafeterias and etc in afghanistan...

  our inteligence guys have been playing too much Evil Genius

  good find!

  cheers

  by chrissabian on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:04:20 PM PDT

  •  The Power of Nightmares

    I was reminded of the Evil Genius caves in Afghanistan when i saw that doc recently. Geez, this can't get any more stoopid, can it? CAN IT?!

    by subtropolis on Sun May 08, 2005 at 08:24:48 AM PDT

    •  "and this is just one of many...?"

      oh yeah they have a bunch of these...

      power of nightmares was a great documentary for that part alone...  

      by chrissabian on Sun May 08, 2005 at 10:20:39 AM PDT

•  Lame Attempt . . .

  I mean, "Dick" Cheney must be getting pretty desperate, what with dressing up Paul Rubens (a/k/a Pee Wee Herman) in a keffiyah and trying to pass him off as a top Islamist "terrist."

  Guess "Dick" didn't want people turning into C-Span Saturday afternoon and watch David Ray Griffin effectively call him a mass-murdering traitor.

  Not only that, but the 9-11 people are also recalling the Franklin coverup.  Wait'll the "base" gets it that Repug bigs are not just closet queens, but traffic in children for sex, and are Satanists, too.

  I think every lefty blog, radio station etc. should get tape of Larry King, pedophile buddy of Bush and Warren Buffett, singing the national anthem from the 1984 Repug convention, and use it for daily sign-off maybe with subtitles telling who King is and what he's done with his life to serve the Lord.

  Hey Cheney, don't you have Swiss accounts and shit?  Can't you just go into exile like a lot of right-wing assholes do?  It's all downhill from here, baby, d'ya hafta make it even more unpleasant?

  Sic semper tyrannis.  That's Latin for who's got a nasty enema overdue, baby!

  by proudtinfoilhat on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:05:26 PM PDT

  •  Second Pee-Wee crime reference...

    ..in as many days.  Saw this story in the Star yesterday about the diabolical "Pee-Wee Herman gang" which is what the cops are calling an unknown group of kidnappers loose in Toronto.  I understand the origin of the name, but you'd think they would pick something a little more ominous...

    by ragnark on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:20:16 PM PDT

•  one of those Rummy the Dummy moments

  'There are things we don't know, that we do not know',or whatever the hell Rummy said/says. These were the guys that knew where the WMDs were, hard to believe they said that. These were the guys that said we would be welcomed with flowers in Iraq. These were the yahoos, that diverted Cat Steven's plane. The brain-dead still support this lying, thieving, incompetent gang of crooks. Sooooooooooooooooooo Brain-dead, they take offense to being called brain-dead. What has happened to America? I do hope that the brain-dead prove me wrong, and come to.  The MSM media should be shut down ASAP.

  by whyBushwhy on Sat May 07, 2005 at 08:39:03 PM PDT

  •  Blue Meme said it perfectly:

    "Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me 87,453 times, shame on me!"

    http://bluememe.blogspot.com/2005/05/fool-me-once-shame-on-you.html

    by Eternal Hope on Sun May 08, 2005 at 12:04:07 PM PDT

    •  Correction:

      "You" should be at the end of the first sentence.

      by Eternal Hope on Sun May 08, 2005 at 12:05:09 PM PDT

•  OK, Pee-Wee's a little bit pervy

  I mean he jacks off in porn theaters, doesn't he?  And gets arrested for it?

  But I wish him to harm, I just couldn't imagine a cooler person for "Dick" Cheney (himself no stranger to underage boys) would try to dress up in a keffiyah, and pass off as a terra kingpin.

  by proudtinfoilhat on Sat May 07, 2005 at 09:04:38 PM PDT

  •  oh, i disagree about how "dangereous"

    pee wee herman is to america!  

    after all, he is a homo - sex - yul!!

    </snark>

    by edrie on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:02:29 PM PDT

•  Help me out...

  Three choices:

  1. The Times is wrong.
     
  2. Our intelligence agencies are so inept that the Europeans have to present the Al-Q org chart to them.

  3. Pakistanis made this up to please Washington and of course, Washington decided this was a good story to push.

  by araina on Sat May 07, 2005 at 09:11:46 PM PDT

•  So he wasn't on our most wanted list because

  we didn't want him to know we were looking for him,  that according to bushco.  You've got to be kidding - what a great strategy!!!! UGH

  by Molly M on Sat May 07, 2005 at 09:33:29 PM PDT

•  That word, "Un-F-ing-be-lie-va-ble"?

  You keep using that word. I do not
  think it means, what you think it means.

  Especially given the "results"!!

  by Newton Snookers on Sat May 07, 2005 at 09:46:20 PM PDT

•  This just in

  more evidence that our administration still doesn't know what it's doing:

  http://counterterror.typepad.com/the_counterterrorism_blog/2005/05/larry_johnson_s.html

  by Danjuma on Sat May 07, 2005 at 09:53:44 PM PDT

•  Here's a link

  From the BBC with a rundown of who's at large, captured, dead:

  BBC NEWS | Middle East | Who's who in al-Qaeda
  "Who's who in al-Qaeda
  Osama Bin Laden
  Osama Bin Laden remains top of the wanted list
  Shortly after the 11 September 2001 attacks, the US issued a list of al-Qaeda suspects. Some have now been captured or killed, and some new names have been added to those still at large."
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2780525.stm

  by doug r on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:18:32 PM PDT

•  Holy crap!!!

  Is this for real???!!!

  by pontificator on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:21:46 PM PDT

  •  I know

    It's very hard to believe, isn't it?

    I checked the little clock / date thingy on the corner of my desktop just as I was about to post the diary... it didn't say April 1, so, despite my utter incredulity, I hit "Submit".

    I also poked around with Google News, and double-checked a little.  Most US news outfits are still mouthing the GOP talking points on this ("major victory" etc).

    Since the diary hit the top of the rec list, hopefully some mainstream media folks will see it tonight or tomorrow morning, and it might make its way into the US news cycle...  Doh! What am I thinking? Of course reality will not bite this side of the Atlantic.

    It's almost surreal.

    by Winger on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:37:30 PM PDT

    •  Thanks for the diary

      I remember when he was first captured, I thought it was odd I had never heard the guy's name before -- I actually pay attention to nearly everything written publicly about Al Qaeda, and I assumed if he was such a big fish he would have been written about before.  SO I remmeber thinking it was a little weird that his name came out of nowhere (do a lexis search and try and find his name on a date before he was captured, tell me what you get -- it'll be zero, I bet).

      Anyway, thanks for helping confirm my suspicions.

      by pontificator on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:45:26 PM PDT

•  This largemouth bass we caught headed al-Qaida...

  Oh. my. God.

  Although it's not like they caught a guy they thought was al-Libbi and turned out to be someone else. They caught al-Libbi, said he was a major player, and Europe says he isn't. Unfortunately that's a rather subjective (ie: easily lied about) label to put on a shadowy terrorist, and so we'll probably never get either a good explanation or an apology out of our side.

  That said, European intelligence could be wrong. Hopefully in any case they got some good intel out of the materials the guy was caught with.

  by Addison on Sat May 07, 2005 at 10:54:57 PM PDT

•  $$$ WAR $$$

  Investment opportunity!
  Get yer war-bucks here!
  Get in on the, ahem, ground floor...

  http://www.islamonline.org/English/News/2005-05/07/article02.shtml
  

  by btdenver on Sun May 08, 2005 at 12:18:43 AM PDT

•  Can you find the terrorist?

  Every story on apprehended terrorists that I have read has been de-bunked in one way or another.

  Guantanomo - Saddam - Abu Graib
  (where they're mostly petty criminals)

  I'm sure there are terrorists out there. I just don't know of any that have been caught and
  convicted? Of course we don't bring them to trial, we disappear them. So who knows how many innocents?

  In Oregon we had a proffesor that was arrested as a terrorist, until Spain let us know the fingerprints didn't match.

  It was a scam to try to help Blair over the "smoking memo".

  by ZappoDave on Sun May 08, 2005 at 12:56:34 AM PDT

•  Wrong Man - what a PR Bonanza

  Here is evidence that this is the wrong person

  by Suvro on Sun May 08, 2005 at 01:42:17 AM PDT

•  #3 for a reason...

  #'s 1 and 2 are well known figures.

  by Florida Democrat on Sun May 08, 2005 at 02:17:35 AM PDT

•  I KNEW it!

  I knew something was fishy about it.

  by Mumon on Sun May 08, 2005 at 02:38:49 AM PDT

•  Nonsense

  Torture him!! He'll tell you everything you want to know!! If he says he's never met bin Laden, he's LYING!!

  Oh, and don't let a lawyer ever get within 500 ft. of him...

  Freedom is on the march.

  by Burton Halli on Sun May 08, 2005 at 05:20:12 AM PDT

•  Quote of the Day

  From the Sunday Times (London) article:
  "One American official tried to explain the absence of al-Libbi's name on the wanted list by saying: "We did not want him to know he was wanted." "
  http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1602568,00.html
  (Third paragraph from the end)

  Isn't the point of a wanted list to let people know the guy is wanted?

  How many Arab males are on non-wanted lists somewhere?  

  How many of US are on those lists???

  by profjsd on Sun May 08, 2005 at 06:16:40 AM PDT

  •  Clarification on my post!

    Uh, my point being that there could very well be Arab males on those secret wanted lists that have nothing to do with Al Qaeda . . . such is the nature of secret lists.

    And also that there might be other non-wanted lists circulating with Kossacks on them.  Not that I'm a paranoid or anything.  Since these kinds of things could never happen in the USA in 2005.

    I forgot how unkind the Internets can be to sarcasm.

    by profjsd on Sun May 08, 2005 at 06:25:50 AM PDT

•  Corporate Media watch

  Let's see how many "news" outlets make as big a stink about this being a bunch of bullshit, as they did when he was caught... my guess is none will do it.

  Besides, there is probably more important things going on, like a runaway bride or something...

  by Burton Halli on Sun May 08, 2005 at 06:22:33 AM PDT

•  They DO have Libbi

  
  It's just that the guy caught in the burqa operation wasn't Al-Libbi, it was some Pakistani terrorist.

  Al-Libbi was caught a FEW WEEKS earlier...so says the Time story:

  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1058999,00.html

  But US officials are sticking to the official timeline, why?

  by araina on Sun May 08, 2005 at 07:29:32 AM PDT

•  Look!

  <snark> Don't you see all the good things going on i