Republicans Anonymous

The US has once again used bombs to "send a message" to terrorists - much like the terrorists use bombs to "send a message" to the US. Neither side seems to care much about the innocent folks trapped in the middle.

At first, the "liberal media" didn't seem to care about "collaterally damaging" (i.e. killing) a bunch of civilians:

U.S. Airstrike Targets Al Qaeda's Zawahiri

By Dafna Linzer and Griff Witte
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, January 14, 2006; Page A09

Ayman Zawahiri, the second-ranking al Qaeda leader and chief deputy to Osama bin Laden, was targeted by a deadly U.S. missile strike on a compound in Pakistan yesterday, but U.S. intelligence could not confirm whether he was killed, according to U.S. sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Acting on sensitive intelligence describing the whereabouts of Zawahiri and other top al Qaeda figures, the CIA ordered the airstrike by a Predator drone that fired an air-to-ground missile at the compound, nestled on the border with Afghanistan. The sources said more than a dozen people may have died in the attack. It was too early to confirm the identities of the dead, but U.S. military officials said Zawahiri may be among them.

However, the ends apparently don't justify the means if you fail to achieve those ends:

Pakistan Condemns Purported CIA Airstrike

By RIAZ KHAN
The Associated Press
Saturday, January 14, 2006; 1:06 PM

DAMADOLA, Pakistan -- Pakistan on Saturday condemned a purported CIA airstrike on a border village that officials said unsuccessfully targeted al-Qaida's second-in-command, and said it was protesting to the U.S. Embassy over the attack that killed at least 17 people.

Thousands of local tribesmen, chanting "God is Great," demonstrated against the attack, claiming the victims were local villagers without terrorist links and had never hosted Ayman al-Zawahri.

Smart money says some of W's Bush League minions wanted to kill a top-ranked al Qaeda member to distract voters from the various Republican scandals, took a chance, and failed. I wonder whether al Qaeda planted a false story with this very result in mind. After all, this incident sure will help al Qaeda recruiting efforts, weaken US-Pakistani relations, and put extremist religious fanatics one step closer to taking over Pakistan. Helping Taliban-style fanatics gain control of Pakistan's nukes - another Bush League policy triumph in the making!