This was discussed I believe by Dick Cheney on Meet the Press last Sunday. It seems that the original path was at the White House. But when you try to pull off an attack like that, what you find is that a number of obstacles get in the way of the line of sight. After the plane did one approach and passed over the WH, it circled around and then struck the Pentagon.There is a fairly good probability that the plane that hit the Pentagon had a similar incident as the Pentagon does not seem to have been the actual target of that craft.
Actually the Pentagon held up pretty well, considering it was hit with a Jetliner loaded with tons of jet fuel. Most of the structure is still intact. Unlike the WTC, this building was designed for attack. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote
Thankfully you are correct. There are several actions and events to consider concerning the events of that day.If, as has been intimated by the press and the White House, there were four targets - the WTC, the Capitol, the White House and Air Force One, then the terrorists were pretty poor at achieving their mission objectives from one standpoint.
First of all, the terrorists allowed the passengers free access to the cell phones in the back of the plane. From these phones, the passengers of the Newark flight learned of the demise of the two Logan airport flights. Thus the true purpose of the hijacking became immediately apparent. Without that information, making an attack on the hijackers would have been a bigger gamble. Most hijackers do not want to die with their plane and human cargo. So the organizers failed on two accounts here: 1) they allowed the human cargo to learn of their destination, and 2) they did not think there would be Americans onboard with the physical and mental constitution to take them on by hand (big mistake, fools
).Another point to consider is the organization of the FAA. Downing all planes immediately was an extreme measure, but it was brilliant. Oh, and thank you Canada for your help. We are forever indebted. From all accounts, there was at least one set of terrorists thwarted (and arrested) after this event.
Now, what are the real (long-term) objectives here? Consider this.
* Osama Bin Laden's organization, Islamic Jihad, and others want to kill lots of Americans. They are sociopaths filled with hate. The source of this is largely the U.S. support of Israel in the region.
* In OBL's recruitment propaganda, he states they will profit from the American deaths and misery. Those of you not familiar with insurance or the stock market, bear with me. Members of these organizations performed a trading action called "selling short." Basically this involved betting a stock will drop. They purchased an interest in the reinsurance firms that cover the World Trade Center. When the attacks occurred and these stocks began to drop on Wall Street, they cashed in. It's the street equivalent of peeing on someone after you have knocked them out.
* These terrorists organizations are counting on an overreaction by the U.S. The more we wreak havoc in places like Iraq, the more teenage recruits these organizations get and the more oil money that comes their way from sympathizers. From the standpoint of recruitment and financial support, this single action has the potential of guaranteeing their existence for years to come...IF WE OVERREACT OR ACT UNILATERALLY.
Trust me...Bush has it right. Be patient. This is going to take time, diplomacy, consensus building, deal-making behind the scenes, sharing intelligence, seizing financial assets around the world, engaging in sophisticated espionage, penetrating secret organizations, and performing dirty acts in dark alleys that none of us really want to know about. Again, the key here is to focus on the long-term goal. It might feel good to bomb the &%$# out of Afghanistan, but this is exactly what the terrorists want. It pays to have a half-hard, half-soft mindset. It pays to get inside the mind of the sociopaths, and treat them with a little of their own quiet medicine. And it pays NOT to crow about it when we succeed.
This is a self-defense lesson we all could learn from. The attack is as much psychological as physical. On many levels, these lowlifes were counting on "typical" responses. The stupid and hotheaded are vanquished in such situations. Those who know the street, are in control of their able rage, and are willing to do EXACTLY what is necessary (including being a bigger SOB than they) will survive.
- Bill
[This message has been edited by Bill Glasheen (edited September 17, 2001).]
