Reading Between the Lines of the Latest NIE

Terrorism experts who have examined the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) released earlier this week have reached some conclusions that directly contradict claims made by the Bush administration:

Putting the final
lie to the Bush Administration refrain that the terrorists who killed us on
9/11 are the same as those fighting us in Iraq, a bi-partisan panel of experts
has concluded that the separate groups calling themselves “Al Qaeda” are as
independent and unrelated as the dozens of “Ray’s Pizzas” that dot the landscape
in New York City.




In the most comprehensive report on terrorism yet, the panel emphasized
that the various terrorist groups are simply trying to reap the benefits and
“goodwill” of the “Al Qaeda” brand name, much as copycat pizzeria owners did
with the “Original Ray’s” in the 1970’s and 80’s.




In fact, the report notes, a number of terrorist organizations have taken
to calling themselves “Original Al Qaeda,” “Famous Al Qaeda,” “Original Famous
Al Qaeda,” and “Famous Original Al Qaeda,” in an attempt to sow brand confusion
and attract the best jihadi recruits.