Sadly the old whiny Joe has been asking for more trouble, this time in Yemen. Lieberman and others have been fanning the flames, and that is just what the enemy wants them to do. Or at least that is one theory, drag the US into another quagmire in the middle east.
Now this Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's attempt..this is perfect for the hawks.
Here is some backgroud:
Yemen has been fighting the "Sa'dah insurgency", one of those fights that are hard to win. These are Shia rebels and there is some talk that they have been receiving aid from Iran/Hezbollah.
Yemen has been getting some support from the US and Saudi-Arabia, The saudis have used military force in the region.
Does this sound familiar:
Yemen, located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a poor Muslim country with a weak central government, armed tribal groups in outlying areas, and porous borders, which makes it fertile ground for terrorists
Pakistan/Afghanistan is in some ways quite similar.
How is this linked to Osama Bin laden? Well, there is very little evidence of OBL doing anything, but he has advocated this kind of tactic:
National security officials in the administration need to go back and read Peter Bergen's Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden in which he recounts many aspects of bin Laden's plan from the Islamic extremist uber-guru's own words - which was to draw the US deeply into the Middle East, and by its presence -- destabilize the governments in the region.
And now you have Joe Lieberman talking tough and Jane Harman trying to do the same.
In a statement over the weekend, Harman, D-El Segundo, warned that Yemen "is the next F.A.T.A." - an acronym for the tribal area of Pakistan that runs along the Afghan border.
"What I have been worrying about for a long time is that al-Qaida is in Yemen," Harman said in an interview Monday. "It is a failing government. As we crack down more successfully in F.A.T.A. - and we will - I worry a lot of the operations and training will move to Yemen."
What do we have?
-A local insurgency, (possibly) supported by Iran/Hezbollah.
-Some Al Qaida presence
-Local government fighting the insurgents, supported by the US and possibly by the Saudis.
Problem is, how much do you trust the local government? Are they using the US (technology/missile strikes) in their own fight against these rebels. If they give the US some information, is that information reliable? Al Qaida training camp, or a local insurgent camp?
This is what Steve Clemons is saying:
Bin Laden, Mullah Omar, and enemies yet to be named win with each new soldier deployed to the Middle East and South Asia.
President Obama must step back and think about America's current strategic course.
I hope the President is willing to think carefully before he acts because the last thing he needs, is another quagmire.
Oh, btw, the best way to win the next elections: get Bin Laden. I hope this President is more serious about that, the last President sort of..dropped the ball.