New US Super Power

Wed Sep 10 00:26:21 CDT 2008

>From BoingBoing.net (http://www.boingboing.net/2008/09/09/does-the-us-military.html):

Does the US military have some super new capability?

On Sunday night's 60 Minutes, famed journalist Bob Woodward talked about his new book The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008, about the Iraq war. During the interview, he made a vague reference to a breakthrough supersecret weapon or capability he claims the US military has that is comparable to the advent of the tank and the airplane. From CBS News:

"This is very sensitive and very top secret, but there are secret operational capabilities that have been developed by the military to locate, target, and kill leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq, insurgent leaders, renegade militia leaders. That is one of the true breakthroughs," Woodward told (60 Minutes correspondent Scott) Pelley.

"But what are we talking about here? It's some kind of surveillance? Some kind of targeted way of taking out just the people that you're looking for? The leadership of the enemy?" Pelley asked.

"I'd love to go through the details, but I'm not going to," Woodward replied...

"If you were an al Qaeda leader or part of the insurgency in Iraq, or one of these renegade militias, and you knew about what they were able to do, you'd get your ass outta town."

In response, BoingBoing reader BTB suggests: "Satellite tracking + predator drones = push-button termination of any particular individual." Or, suggests, MAZOOLA, "Flying tanks?"

Actually, I think that BB reader JUANCB was more on target when he suggested that "The new secret weapon uses the power of fear..." followed by SPOCKO's recollection of Woodward and "Nixon has a secret plan for winning in Vietnam."

But of course in GR (p. 25, Penguin): "He has become obsessed with the idea of rocket with his name written on it--if they're really set on getting him ("They" embracing possibilities far far beyond Nazi Germany) that's the surest way, doesn't cost them a thing to paint his name on _every single one, right?_"