by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright October 18, 2001
All Rights Reserved.

hen cruise missiles and bombs rained down on Afghanistan Oct. 7, U.S. officials warned Americans to look over their shoulders. Adding to the jitters, Oatar’s Arab TV Al Jazeera broadcast Osama bin Laden’s prerecorded rant, promising more retribution. “To America, I say only a few words to it and its people. I swear to God that America will not live in peace . . .” threatened Bin Laden, inducing fear and putting the U.S. on high alert. Authorities believed, then, that there was a “high probability” of retaliation, but didn’t know how, what, where and when. FBI and Justice Department issued blanket warnings, urging law enforcement agencies to keep “the highest level of vigilance” to protect citizens from imminent terrorism. Even Vice President Dick Cheney was whisked away to a safe location, assuring the White House continuity of command. Days passed and everyone waited for more skyjackings, bombs, and other terrorist shenanigans. Then, out of the blue, a rare, ‘isolated’ case of anthrax popped up in Boca Raton, Fla. at the established publisher of supermarket tabloids.

       Officials dismissed the report as naturally occurring anthrax, apparently caused by the employee, 73-year-old Bob Stevens, drinking from a contaminated stream. On Oct. 5, Stevens became the first anthrax casualty since 1976. Then, Steven’s co-worker Ernesto Blanco was also infected with inhaled anthrax. Next, an assistant to NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw contracted skin anthrax. Then a 6-month-old baby at ABC’s Midtown headquarters was infected with the same condition. Next, an assistant to U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-N.D.) contracted the disease. Then, an assistant to CBS News anchor Dan Rather was infected. Now a postal worker in Trenton, N.J.—the post office from which anthrax-laced letters were sorted and sent to CBS and NBC—was afflicted with the skin variety. Preliminary analysis found in letters to Congress, CBS, NBC, and the Sun tabloid in South Florida yielded ‘weaponized,’ anthrax, known for its finely milled characteristics. Without a smoking gun, it’s unlikely that this type of anthrax originated from domestic sources. Getting the bigger picture, it looks a lot like Bin Laden’s Plan B—bioterrorism—was already underway.

       When skyjacked United Flight 93 plummeted into rural Pittsburgh, Bin Laden’s plan to attack the White House or Capitol was rudely foiled. With homeland defense tightening the noose and losing the element of surprise, it wasn’t possible for Al Qaeda’s programmed assassins to use common carriers like jetliners, trucks or airport lockers. What better time to initiate a stealth campaign to infiltrate U.S. mail and hit key targets in government, media, and high-profile corporations. While the skyjacking attacks of Sept. 11 wreaked untold devastation, they didn’t accomplish terrorists’ key objective of promoting paralyzing fear. Beyond destroying physical property, terrorists’ real mission is flooding the country with fear and beating the nation into submission. Regurgitating terrorists’ propaganda—that violence begets violence—becomes the phony mantra, mindlessly chanted by opponents to U.S. military action, implying that the government must change its ways to avoid more terrorism. New York’s mayor Rudolf Giuliani rejected this lame excuse, refusing to accept a $10 million gift from a well-known Saudi billionaire.

       After hitting the U.S. with its best shot on Sept. 11 and now enduring the full wrath of the U.S. military, Bin Laden rolled out Plan B: An annoying bioterrorism campaign designed to spread fear. Without crop-dusters or other ways to infect the masses, Bin Laden was emasculated, reduced to making idle threats. Holed up in his lair, he’s now infected with paranoia, sending his troops to the afterlife. Unlike the Soviets, the U.S. systematically degraded Taliban forces with a relentless air campaign, eventually drawing out troops into easy targets. With defections occurring daily, it’s just a matter of time before only a small cadre of bodyguards gets between Bin Laden and his date with eternity. No, there’s no direct evidence yet linking today’s anthrax scare with Bin Laden, but there’s plenty of obvious indicators. Using refined anthrax and targeting key members of congress and the media has Al Qaeda’s fingerprints all over it. No homegrown kook or group shows that kind of sophistication.

       Failing in the foxholes and now in the pressroom, Bin Laden’s lashing out before he completes his grandiose last stand. Dragging down what’s left of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, his vaunted sleeper cells are running out of nasty tricks. With good antibiotics, his latest stunt only promotes more fear, unable to duplicate the mass destruction of Sept. 11. Running out of time, the wily terrorist is left only with his sick mind and Al Jazeera TV to continue his treacherous propaganda. Bin Laden boasts that the events of Sept. 11 prove the myth of the superpower. Like a typical megalomaniac, he took all the credit for the Soviet’s 1989 retreat from Afghanistan—the same year that the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. With the Soviet Union disintegrating, the Politburo could no longer sustain a wasteful military campaign. Bin Laden also boasts about driving the U.S. out of Somalia, during its aborted humanitarian mission in 1993. In reality, the Clinton administration saw only political liability, certainly not the overwhelming support the White House now enjoys for its war on terrorism.

       Badly miscalculating U.S. resolve, Bin Laden’s global terror organization is now facing extinction. Going over the deep end, he delivered terror on American soil, beckoning the U.S. to put him out of his misery. Now holed up in his bunker, Bin Laden’s days are numbered, together with the Islamic zealots conned into believing they were fighting a true war of liberation. Putting the world on notice, President Bush aroused the sleeping giant and committed the U.S. to ending the blight of global terrorism. “Peace is the highest aspiration of the American people,” said Ronald Reagan at his first inaugural address. “We will negotiate for it, we will sacrifice for it, we will not surrender for it now or ever.” Refusing to deal with the Taliban, Bush made it plain that his administration has no room for thugs and outlaws. While it’s easy to find fault with some of the coalition, it’s difficult to argue with ending Bin Laden’s reign of terror. With the smell of human flesh still smoldering at “ground-zero,” it’s a bitter reminder of the wisdom behind Operation Enduring Freedom. Accepting history’s fate, the White House helped preserve what some have called “the last best hope for man on earth.”

About the Author

John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He’s director of a Los Angeles think tank specializing in political consulting and strategic public relations. He’s the author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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