Bush got his "Mission Accomplished" and bin Laden got his wish at same time

As I was keying in that last posting (too long; I'm sorry!), I happened to be listening to Randi Rhodes while she was interviewing one of my favorite authors and people, Greg Palast. Even having read his Armed Madhouse (five stars), I had forgotten the irony of George W. Bush landing on the Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003 with his announcement that we had won the war against Iraq (more or less) and ... that this was also the day that Osama bin Laden's mission to get the US forces out of Saudi Arabia was accomplished.

Yes, that was the day that Rummy very quietly announced that we were removing our remaining troops from Saudi Arabia.

Palast accurately included the exact words of Osama bin Laden's "mission" (taken directly from his web site -- in the same upper case letters: "DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST THE AMERICANS OCCUPYING THE LANDS OF THE HOLY PLACES -- EXPEL THE INFIDELS FROM THE ARAB PENINSULA" !!!

Interestingly, Osama bin Laden posted that "mission statement" on August 22 (no relationship at all with the "27th day of the month of Rajab in the year 1427" ... 2500 years after Ezekiel made his interesting prophesy and special to Shiites, among others, that marks a week from today as special to Iranian President Mahmoud Ah-mad-as-a-hatter) of 1996 ... only two months before I moved from one part of the Arab peninsula out to another -- the "toe" of the foot that shapes the peninsula, so to speak.

And yes, I should have been well aware of that date since I was working directly for the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Saudi Air Force as his "Political Advisor" at the time and was estimating what the effects of a possible USAF withdrawal from Saudi Arabia would mean ... militarily. (I was really a tactical air weapons analyst ... and his political advisor by title only.) Little did I even imagine that we would evacuate our "permanent" bases seven years later ... way back in 1996 -- but the RSAF senior staff understood bin Laden's words very well.

Thanks for the reminder Randi, and thanks for the good read, Greg Palast!