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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lorne who wrote (290)	11/12/2004 8:18:30 PM
From: lorne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224648

FORMER HEAD OF CIA'S OSAMA BIN LADEN UNIT SAYS THE QAEDA LEADER HAS SECURED RELIGIOUS APPROVAL TO USE A NUCLEAR BOMB AGAINST AMERICANS Fri Nov 12 2004 12:02:34 ET drudgereport.com Osama bin Laden now has religious approval to use a nuclear device against Americans, says the former head of the CIA unit charged with tracking down the Saudi terrorist. The former agent, Michael Scheuer, speaks to Steve Kroft in his first television interview without disguise to be broadcast on 60 MINUTES Sunday, Nov. 14 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Scheuer was until recently known as the "anonymous" author of two books critical of the West's response to bin Laden and al Qaeda, the most recent of which is titled Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror. No one in the West knows more about the Qaeda leader than Scheuer, who has tracked him since the mid-1980s. The CIA allowed him to write the books provided he remain anonymous, but now is allowing him to reveal himself for the first time on Sunday's broadcast; he formally leaves the Agency today (12). Even if bin Laden had a nuclear weapon, he probably wouldn't have used it for a lack of proper religious authority - authority he has now. "[Bin Laden] secured from a Saudi sheik...a rather long treatise on the possibility of using nuclear weapons against the Americans," says Scheuer. "[The treatise] found that he was perfectly within his rights to use them. Muslims argue that the United States is responsible for millions of dead Muslims around the world, so reciprocity would mean you could kill millions of Americans," Scheuer tells Kroft. Scheuer says bin Laden was criticized by some Muslims for the 9/11 attack because he killed so many people without enough warning and before offering to help convert them to Islam. But now bin Laden has addressed the American people and given fair warning. "They're intention is to end the war as soon as they can and to ratchet up the pain for the Americans until we get out of their region....If they acquire the weapon, they will use it, whether it's chemical, biological or some sort of nuclear weapon," says Scheuer. As the head of the CIA unit charged with tracking bin Laden from 1996 to 1999, Scheuer says he never had enough people to do the job right. He blames former CIA Director George Tenet. "One of the questions that should have been asked of Mr. Tenet was why were there always enough people for the public relations office, for the academic outreach office, for the diversity and multi-cultural office? All those things are admirable and necessary but none of them are protecting the American people from a foreign threat," says Scheuer. And the threat posed by bin Laden is also underestimated, says Scheuer. "I think our leaders over the last decade have done the American people a disservice...continuing to characterize Osama bin Laden as a thug, as a gangster," he says. "Until we respect him, sir, we are going to die in numbers that are probably unnecessary, yes. He's a very, very talented man and a very worthy opponent," he tells Kroft. Until today (12), Scheuer was a senior official in the CIA's counter terrorism unit and a special advisor to the head of the agency's bin Laden unit. Developing...

To: lorne who wrote (290)	11/12/2004 9:49:49 PM
From: Ann Corrigan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224648

Speaking of trips, look who's planning to visit the old sods:Bush Promises Europe Trip to Heal Divide 12-Nov-2004 Story from AP / JENNIFER LOVEN WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Friday he'll carry a message of shared values and goals to Europe during a trip planned after his inauguration, reaching out to those dismayed by the Iraq war and what they see as a go-it-alone foreign policy. "In my second term, I will work to deepen our trans-Atlantic ties with the nations of Europe," Bush said during a joint appearance with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the White House. "We must apply the combined strength and moral purpose of Europe and America to effectively fight terror and to overcome poverty and disease and despair, to advance human dignity and to advance freedom." Bush said the trip would take place "as soon as possible" in 2005. Later, a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was likely to come in February and that a stop in Brussels for meetings at either the European Union or NATO or both was also likely. The idea for the trip came about just in the past few days and was cemented after Bush's Wednesday meeting with NATO secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the official said. Bush decided to announce it now, even without final decisions on dates or destinations, to underscore an "intense period of outreach," the official said. Talk of a trans-Atlantic rift has persisted long after the debate over the Iraq war in the United Nations. Relations with Germany have improved and U.S. ties with Central and Eastern European countries are generally warm. But the perception that relations overall remain sour is fueled by Bush's low popularity levels in Europe, France's continued skepticism of U.S. power, and the election of a socialist government in Spain earlier this year that led to a pullout of the country's 1,300 troops in Iraq. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has even had a difficult time getting a call through to Bush to congratulate him on his re-election. Even so, the administration has sent several signals in recent days designed to heal the divisions. Within 10 days of Election Day, Bush has met publicly with two foreign visitors, both from Europe: the NATO leader and Blair on Friday. Secretary of State Colin Powell also announced an ambitious round of fence-mending meetings during European travel scheduled for early next month. And alongside Blair, Bush spoke of support for giving more help to Palestinians -- a position desired by many European leaders. "We'll mobilize the international community to help revive the Palestinian economy, to build up the Palestinian security institutions to fight terror, to help the Palestinian government fight corruption, and to reform the Palestinian political system and build democratic institutions," Bush said. As for his Europe trip, Bush said the goal would be "to remind people that the world is better off -- America's better off, Europe is better off -- when we work together." Blair heartily endorsed Bush's view: "I think there is a tremendous desire and willingness on the part of certainly our partners in the European Union to make sure that that alliance is strong," he said. Still, gestures of cooperation only go so far, as Bush hasn't signaled there is reason for allies to expect any major changes in the direction of his foreign policy.