I Don't Know What Happens

War Is Primarily Not About Victory Or Defeat But About Death And The Infliction Of Death. It Represents The Total Failure Of The Human Spirit.

Even My Landlord, Who Is A Moderate Lebanese Guy, Says, "but Bin Laden Says What We Think." These People Believe That Bin Laden Is Being Targeted Not Because Of The World Trade Center And Washington; They Are Not Convinced By The Evidence That Has Been Produced. They Believe He's Being Targeted Because He Tells The Truth.

The [israelis] Believed - They Were Possessed Of An Absolute Certainty And Conviction - That 'terrorists' Were In Chatila. How Could I Explain To Them That The Terrorists Had Left, That The Terrorists Had Worn Israeli Uniforms, That The Terrorists Had Been Sent Into Chatila By Israeli Officers, That The Victims Of The Terrorists Were Not Israelis But Palestinians And Lebanese?

Bin Laden Was Very Keen To Point Out To Me That His Forces Had Fought The Americans In Somalia. He Also Wanted To Talk About How Many Mullahs In Pakistan Were Putting Up Posters Saying, "we Follow Bin Laden." He Even Produced A Sort Of Kodak Set Of Snapshots Of Graffiti Supporting Him.

So Here's A Question From One Who Believed, Only A Week Ago, That Baghdad Might Just Collapse And That We Might Wake Up One Morning To Find The Baathist Militia And The Iraqi Army Gone And The Americans Walking Down Saadun Street With Their Rifles Over Their Shoulders. If The Iraqis Can Still Hold Out Against Such Overwhelming Force In Umm Qasr For Four Days, If They Can Keep Fighting In Basra And Nasiriyah – The Latter A City That Briefly Rose In Revolt Against Saddam's Regime In 1991 – Why Should Saddam's Forces Not Keep Fighting In Baghdad?