Where did this come from? Any reason to suspect it's legitimate?

What about all the non "liberals" that are either opposed to the way the war is being fought, or now think it was a mistake from the start? Does the enemy consider them friends as well? Or is it just liberals opposed to the war that are the enemy's friends? Are you saying that liberals are the only ones that do not support the war? It's convenient to name people like Durbin and Moore, but what about the simple everyday americans that oppose the war? Are they making the terrorists proud also?

If you need help finding the many polls that indicate most americans believe the war was/is a mistake let me know.

A Vietnam reference. Wonder where he get's that idea from?

Historical hindsight, perhaps?

I see they are using their friends in the media to further their cause.

Face it, the MSM are whores.

It's telling to see one individual claim one element of MSM to be 'balanced' and simultaneously claim another of it to be 'biased' (not directed at you, Canine of the Island).

What about all the non "liberals" that are either opposed to the way the war is being fought, or now think it was a mistake from the start? Does the enemy consider them friends as well? Or is it just liberals opposed to the war that are the enemy's friends?

Probably both.

If you need help finding the many polls that indicate most americans believe the war was/is a mistake let me know.

Another poll lover I see. Do you understand those media polls are based on usually less than 1000 Americans and does not accurately represent the "thought" of the entire U.S.? Do you understand the media polls more democrats than republicans? If you need any help on how polls are useless let me know.

Do you think that in this net-centric, 24-7-365 news world of ours, that Osama and pals DON'T watch the news? That they don't have live streaming internet in their Pakistani cave system? They certainly plant their messages onto the internet with impunity; you think their internet's set up to upload only?

It is ridiculous and naive to think that al-Qaeda does NOT watch the news. They take the liberal hand-wringing and self-loathing and Bush-bashing; they see it as signs of weakness and chinks in our armor of resolve. Liberals cite Vietnam on C-SPAN or CNN International or Fox News, and guess what? They pick up on that! The enemy is so savvy and so cunning; they actually (gasp!) "use the media to their own ends"!

A.K.A. THEY WATCH THE NEWS.

It is ridiculous and naive to think that al-Qaeda does NOT watch the news. They take the liberal hand-wringing and self-loathing and Bush-bashing; they see it as signs of weakness and chinks in our armor of resolve.

Yeah, they linked to the satellite via the wireless on top of their cave.

Maybe the 'terrorists' do understand our democracy and know there will always be dissent; checks and balances, but if they are so hard to find with all our satellite imagery and sophisticated intel. then maybe they'll learn of that and just decide to get things second-hand from CNN - you know, through the Arabian grapevine.

The fact is, Al-Qaeda, Bin Laden, etc. will all pass; if UBL is alive at all anyway..but Islamic fundamentalism will persist far longer - a trademark to be expected of all Islamic regions.

So..should we censor all dissent in our media? What's your solution singrdave, how should we preserve free speech while still retaining effective 'resolve' in the eyes of terrorists?

Any reason to suspect it's legitimate?

not nearly as much as there is to think it's a hoax. Link

"In fact, so important is winning goodwill that it entails overlooking doctrinal error, even heresy just short of blasphemy, among the Sunni ulama (the elite religious community). It also requires non-provocation of Shiite leaders, even though the falsehood of Shiite doctrines (and the Shiites' collusion with the invaders) is said to be "well known."

If the letter is authentic, this would be a rare and extraordinary instance of strategic gamesmanship within Al Qaeda. For Al Qaeda to suggest compromising with tainted followers in order to ensure group cohesion to gain a larger prize — freedom from foreign occupation — would certainly be unprecedented.

How remarkable then that Zarqawi ignored the letter! It was apparently written in early July, yet the last three months have witnessed the slaughter of Iraqi Shiites in unprecedented numbers. If the letter were real, it would suggest that there is indeed a genuine split within Al Qaeda almost as major as the divide that separates Sunnis from Shiites in Iraq at large.

But there are reasons to doubt that it is authentic. First is the suspiciously long delay between when the letter was written and when it was made public. Who benefits from this delay if not those who favor voting for the new Iraqi constitution at all costs? Its appearance on the eve of the vote in Iraq reinforces the notion that anarchy will be the only outcome if the constitution is defeated.

And then there is the improbable request for the payment of 100,000 (presumably dollars) from Zarqawi to Zawahiri, when one might have expected the opposite channel of funding. And the bizarre suggestion that if the reader is going to Fallouja, "send greetings to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi." Did the writer of this letter forget that it was already addressed to Zarqawi?"

i hope mr lawrence doesn't have any relatives working in the cia. if it truly is a hoax, hhe may have just set himself up to become this year's joseph wilson.

Good to know you can still always rely on kingbee to look into something properly!

I didn't think it read like something an al Qaeda guy would write.

They take the liberal hand-wringing and self-loathing and Bush-bashing; they see it as signs of weakness and chinks in our armor of resolve.

They probably do; dissent and multiple points of view don't really figure in their vision of the future. However, there are probably just as many in the middle east and elsewhere who are impressed to see vocal dissent without state punishment and multiple points of view freely expressed.

In putting on the armour of resolve it's worth remembering just exactly what it is we're trying to defend.