Posted on 01/19/2006 11:52:20 AM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
CAIRO, Egypt -- U.S. counterterror officials said Thursday they have seen no specific or credible intelligence to indicate an upcoming al-Qaida attack on the country, despite a new audio tape claiming preparations for such a mission.
The United States will not let up in the war on terror despite the threats on the tape, purportedly made by Osama bin Laden, said White House press secretary Scott McClellan.
"We do not negotiate with terrorists," McClellan said. "We put them out of business."
While warning against downplaying the taped threat, officials at intelligence and law enforcement agencies said there has been no recent increase in "chatter" that can indicate that such an attack is imminent. The officials discussed the tape on condition of anonymity because intelligence analysis is usually sensitive and because the tape was still being examined.
A Department of Homeland Security official said the agency has no immediate plans to raise the national terror alert, noting that intelligence agencies are still "working to authenticate the tape."
The national threat level is currently at "yellow alert," the middle of five stages, signifying an elevated risk of terror attacks. It has mostly been at yellow since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but has been raised to the orange "high alert" level seven times since then.
Intelligence officials said authenticating the tape, released by the television network Al-Jazeera Thursday morning, could take between several hours and several days - and perhaps through the weekend.
"If there is any actionable intelligence, we will act on it," McClellan said.
A U.S. counterterror official said analysts had no reason to doubt an assessment by Al-Jazeera that the tape was recorded in the Islamic month that corresponds with December.
President Bush was told about the audiotape shortly after an appearance on the economy in Sterling, Va., McClellan said.
Intelligence authorities were examining why bin Laden - if in fact the voice on the tape is verified as his - would be speaking out after more than a year of letting his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, serve as al-Qaida's public face in statements and other communications.
One official speculated that it might be an attempt to show supporters that bin Laden is still around.
"We want a truce" = "we're losing and need to regroup"
Clint Eastwood, is that you? Is McClellan finally growing a pair?
A muslim truce means they take 30 days off to replenish their supply of weapons.
You just have to wonder how a president kerry or gore would respond to this.
A President Kerry or Gore would have been the one making the truce offer.
Those were the days, huh?
Probably have talks in Paris or something.
The boy has been feeling his oats lately hasn't he?
Ah, yes...Kerry does have a fondness for selling out to the enemy in Paris.
"We kill babies and hide behind womens skirts to kill innocents..but now we are willing to stop never to do it again".....yeah righhhhhhhhht.
Hell, that's easy. They would have immediately authorized a 100 billion dollar aid package for the towelheads, invited bin Laden to the White House, proposed a national holiday in his honor and made him head of the DNC.
Bin Laden's truce offer is for Iraq and Afghanistan only, not for the U.S.
Which is to say, he'd rather fight the war here in the U.S. (e.g. 9/11/2001) than over in the Middle-East and Asia.
Of course, "liberals" in the U.S. want the same thing. Watch as they criticize President Bush for rejecting Bin Laden's offer.
A kerry or gore would have gotten us all killed, if 9/11 happened under their watch you can bet there would have been several HUGE attacks one right after another, a kerry or gore would not have retaliated therefore Osama would not have a need to make this offer.
What are the details of the truce offer?
parsy, who ain't so sure a truce isn't a good way to end a guerilla conflict.
She voted for his reelection.
i just can't imagine bush would miss this chance at a truce, to end it all peacefully....why is he so stubborn?
Bin Laden proposed that the U.S. withdraw our military from Iraq and Afghanistan. In exchange, Al Qaeda won't blow up more schoolchildren on Iraqi streets.
Truce offer does not extend to the U.S., where Bin Laden states in his tape that he will attack next.
Needless to say, leftists in the U.S. will criticize President Bush for rejecting this truce offer.
They make it sound like it was a legitimate offer. They still don't get it.
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