Who is behind these attacks. Although it is too early to know, and it may be some time before clues emerge, I have to go with the conventional wisdom - Usamah Bin Ladin was involved if not directly responsible for these attacks. Only someone with his resources and the support of a government (Afghanistan) could pull off such a coordinated and planned attack. He has a secure environment, state protection, seemingly unlimited funds, pilots among his group, disciples who are willing to die for the cause, and the skill to organize it all. For an earlier article on Bin Ladin, see Usamah Bin Ladin - Terrorism's Poster Boy.
I heard the President's "we will hunt down and punish" rhetoric. How many times have we heard that in the past? Maybe this is of such a magnitude that the American people will demand an appropriate response. I have been troubled by our inconsistent responses in the past. When 19 U.S. Air Force personnel are killed in Saudi Arabia in 1996 (some Saudis and unnamed Iran government officials were indicted for that this June), where was the response? When the USS Cole was attacked last October in Yemen and followers of Bin Ladin were determined to be responsible, where was the response?
True, there was a response to the bombing of two American embassies in Africa, but to what effect? It will be interesting to see how our government responds to this. How much more are we as a nation going to take?
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