or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
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"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
November 23, 2008
Outstanding Work By Memory Hole
Google News results for "Rashid Rauf": 1,753
Google News results for "Rashid Rauf Suskind": 0
Here's what just happened to Rashid Rauf:
A terrorist suspect linked to the 2006 attempt to blow up aircraft flying from London’s Heathrow airport was killed on Saturday in a US attack in the remote Pakistani-Afghan border region...Mr Rauf was arrested in Pakistan in 2006 shortly after a plot to blow up aircraft flying from Heathrow to North America was discovered at the last moment, preventing what could have been the biggest terrorist event since the attacks on New York and Washington in September 2001.
Here's what happened to Rashid Rauf in 2006:
President Bush meddled with Scotland Yard's investigation into the liquid bomb plotters to boost his ratings, a book on US policy claims.British police were forced to arrest suspects before they were convinced they had enough evidence to get convictions, according to author Ron Suskind.
Their hand was forced when the White House deliberately exposed the conspiracy - so Bush could show al-Qaeda was still a threat.
He was facing midterm elections and suffering from poor poll ratings.
And Suskind alleges Bush was unhappy that British detectives and MI5 wanted more time to gather evidence against the plotters...
Suskind alleges British police had to move because Rashid Rauf, 28, believed to have been a key plotter, was arrested in Pakistan under pressure from the CIA.
When Rauf, from Birmingham, was picked up, British counter terrorism officials allegedly "screamed bloody murder" and "threw ashtrays".
Rauf then "escaped" from Pakistani custody in 2007.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: not just a movie, a way of life for every media outlet on earth.
—Jonathan Schwarz
Posted at November 23, 2008 06:55 PMWHAT, U didn't think this was propaganda machine too. Its AMERICA, everything comes with horseshit on rye.
Posted by: Mike Meyer at November 23, 2008 08:01 PMA proper google search, however, throws up 1,830 results...so I don't understand why you particularly choose to "News" it...this is something of boxing at shadows.
Posted by: En Ming Hee at November 23, 2008 08:56 PMHi Jon S.,
You might be interested to know that the AFP had a falling out w Google some time ago and insisted that AFP results be excluded by Google News searches-- although you can still find them via Yahoo News. Don't know the details.
I actually don't understand the point you're trying to make here. Are you saying Bush fake-arrested him and then had him killed?
Posted by: Noumenon at November 29, 2008 09:11 AMI actually don't understand the point you're trying to make here. Are you saying Bush fake-arrested him and then had him killed?
No, Bush had him for-real arrested. And then, as I mentioned, he escaped in 2007.
The point is that Bush's demand that he be arrested completely screwed up the British case in the UK, and did so for transparently political purposes -- and this history is something that should obviously be mentioned, but was not, when Rauf died.
Posted by: Jonathan Schwarz at November 29, 2008 06:26 PM
