Or they were just called off by Pakistan - how else to explain the relatively orderly retreat from Kabul and the way they were able to escape US and "southern alliance" troops in Kandahar.....the U.S. might try to conclude that it was the Daisy Cutters but the close links between the Taliban, the Pakistani ISI and the Saudis (as evidenced by the extraordinary television interview by the head of Saudi intelligence attempting to distance the Saudi regime from OBL - even at this late date they somehow feel compelled to do that) - those close links indicate that the US is facing off against a widespread disaffection - to say the least - with US power in the world - a disaffection that may have been distorted and misused horribly by OBL and the fundamentalist movement, but that nonetheless exists, both abroad and at home.
Stephen F. Diamond School of Law Santa Clara University [EMAIL PROTECTED]
