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We Do Not Negotiate With Terrorists Geoff Metcalf The reasonable man adapts himself to the world, but the unreasonable man tries to adapt to the world to him – therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man. – Samuel Butler The recent release of the Osama bin Laden tape with the vague "truce" offer is as hollow as the caves in which the dirtbag grovels. Al-Qaida is on the skids. They are harried, harassed and significantly diminished, notwithstanding posturing protestations to the contrary. The main reason we have not been attacked in the United States since 9/11 is not because al-Qaida is "waiting." They have tried and tried again to hit us ... and have failed. Are we still vulnerable? You betcha! Are we safer now than four years ago? Yes!
However, despite our significantly increased security and more proactive approaches, the sad reality remains: We have to be both lucky and good 100 percent of the time. The bad guys have to get lucky only once for an epic disaster to occur. Aparisim Ghosh reports in Newsweek: "Antiterrorism experts say the Saudi-born terrorist is no longer in active contact with field commanders, and his ability to plan and direct specific operations is hampered by his isolation. Among some U.S. counter-terrorism experts, there was speculation that the release of the bin Laden tape was al-Qaida's attempt to boost the morale of its foot soldiers amid the run of bad p.r."
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There is a more basic question about bin Laden's red-herring "truce" overture. It landed yours truly in hot water when I was filling in on WMAL for the eventually fired Michael Graham in Washington, D.C. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) got their burqas in a wad when I said the Qur'an allows Muslims to lie to unbelievers. Robert Spencer noted in a FrontPagemag.com piece: "Yet even as it complained about Metcalf's statement, CAIR's press release attacking Metcalf doesn't say what Metcalf said was false. Why not? Because it's true." Duh! Qur'an 3:26 reads, "Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers rather than believers."
Spencer adds, "In other words, don't make friends with unbelievers except to 'guard yourselves from them': Pretend to be their friends so that you can strengthen yourself against them. Qur'anic commentator Ibn Kathir explains this verse: "Believers who in some areas or times fear for their safety from the disbelievers" may "show friendship to the disbelievers outwardly, but never inwardly." He says, "The scholars agreed that if a person is forced into disbelief, it is permissible for him to go along with them in the interests of self-preservation. ..."
And make no mistake ... bin Laden and al-Qaida are very much in the "self-preservation" mode. The noose is tightening and they can feel the fibers of the rope on their neck hair. Appeasement, negotiations, "truces" and compromise flat-out will not work with the jihadists. The only reason bin Laden and al-Zawahiri and their buds are still sucking air is U.S. diffidence to do what is necessary ... and politics. We have been so fixated on not being perceived as "bad" and so overly focused on minimizing collateral damage that we allow the infection to grow. We don't want to annoy Pakistan, or Russia, or the EU, or CNN – and so we plod along with half measures and allow the bad guys to survive with the angst and discomfort they have become acclimated to as normal. A Washington insider told me years ago we could have found a Mossad agent with terminal cancer to do the necessary wet work in return for taking care of his family. Bullfeathers! The recent near miss on Zawahiri was arguably a function of time and delays. We are too rattled with mitigation and public relations and less focused on the objective. We don't need an eight-digit grid coordinate of where bin Laden is squatting. Sure, the Pakistan-Afghanistan border is a bear topographically. And local tribal leaders remain loyal and supportive of al-Qaida. Pakistan is a geopolitical sewer and Musharraf is fighting as many internal battles as external ones. Bite the bullet, guys! Identify the grid square, 1,000 meters by 1,000 meters, where the bad guys are probably located and carpet-bomb the dirt into a smoking hole. The local collateral damage will be a direct function of their having accommodated the bad guys. If we miss him, do it again ... and again ... and again. Once upon a time, "Bin Laden Dead or Alive" was supposed to be policy. Either kill bin Laden or tell the French that al-Qaida intends to destroy the French wine crop and let Chirac nuke him. Then Musharraf and Putin and the EU gaggle can be p.o.-ed at France instead of us for a change.
Editor's note:
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