Positive Reinforcement II

Just when you thought the 9/11 Commission was all about trashing the President, just when you thought they were going to find we're losing the war on terrorism... you find out it's not the 9/11 Commission against the President or hoping we lose the war, it's "selective journalism" that chose to report 1/2 of one sentence (that basically said while there WAS a relationship between Al' Qaeda and Iraq, there appeared to be no collusion between them specifically on 9/11) they completely ignored SEVERAL PARAGRAPHS of extremely positive news. Sigh.

Here's the part of Staff Statement 15 that the press decided Americans didn't need to hear about, as reported by the Commission under the heading "Al Qaeda* Today."

"Since the September 11 attacks and the defeat of the Taliban, as Qaeda's funding has decreased significantly. The arrests or deaths of several important financial facilitators have decreased the amount of money al Qaeda has raised and increased the costs and difficulty of raising and moving that money.

"Some entirely corrupt charities are now out of business, with many of their principals killed or captured, although some charities may still be providing support to al Qaeda.

"Moreover, it appears that the al Qaeda attacks within Saudi Arabia in May and November 2003 have reduced - perhaps drastically - at Qaeda's ability to raise funds from Saudi sources. Both an increase in Saudi enforcement and a more negative perception of al Qaeda by potential donors have cut its income." [END OF EXCERPT]

And the good news for America - not to mention the Bush administration - doesn't end there. In the same section, Staff Statement 15 notes:

"Prior to 9/11, al Qaeda was a centralized organization which used Afghanistan as a war room to strategize, plan attacks, and dispatch operatives worldwide." But now, says the Commission, "Bin Ladin's* seclusion [has] forced operational commanders and cell leaders to assume greater authority; they are now making the command decisions previously made by him."

The report concluded that Al Qaeda is not capable of the kind of massive attack they once carried out on our east coast. Sounds to me like we're winning. Wouldn't it be nice to at least know that? How many people are carrying around extra stress, perhaps claiming they need state sponsored (read, your tax-money sponsored) therapy who could rest easier of the press weren't so hell bent on making them miserable?