Of course, the Associated Press did not bother to mention that Yemeni intelligence is in the pocket of the CIA, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald in 2002. The CIA has "received tremendous co-operation from the intel services" in Yemen, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, to name but a few, according to a former CIA employee. So effective was this "tremendous co-operation" between the CIA and Yemeni intelligence, the CIA was able to track down and assassinate American citizen and alleged "al-Qaeda" operative Ahmed Hijazi outside of Sanaa, Yemen, in November, 2002.

Nor did Associated Press mention that Jamal al-Badawi, who was convicted of helping plan the 2000 USS Cole bombing, fought in Bosnia. As the research of the German author Jürgen Elsässer documents, the CIA, NATO, and other intelligence services used "al-Qaeda" jihadists in Bosnia and probably Chechnya. "Aukai Collins, an American Mujahadeen, who fought in Chechnya and had contacts with some of the 9/11 bombers, was at least on the payroll of FBI and CIA," Elsässer told Serbianna. "Al-Qaeda" is not at the "center of all these events, but American secret services, which used Al Qaeda."

In a report that has since found its way to the memory hole, in 2003 NBC aired a videotape of "al-Qaeda Lt. Gen." Muhammad Talal al-Jafar al Tallani Ackbar, who was "involved in noteworthy military operations in the past, serving in covert operations alongside the CIA in Afghanistan and in Bosnia and Kosovo before joining al-Qaeda."

Moreover, according to Macedonian intelligence agencies - as reported by the leading daily Dnevnik, the Russian news agencies Novosti and ItarTass, and the London Independent - the U.S. ran a terrorist camp "near the village of Ropotovo, close to Kosovska Kamenica, in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo" and this camp was managed by Zaiman al-Zawahiri, brother of the Ayman al-Zawahiri, supposedly Osama bin Laden's right-hand man with a $25 million Department of State reward on his head (see Umberto Pascali, U.S. Protects Al-Qaeda Terrorists in Kosovo). Ayman al-Zawahiri's al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, "essentially an al-Qaida organization," according to the GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs Daily, was active in the Balkans and "al-Zawahiri has been closely associated with the Bosnian Islamist leadership."

As well, although you will not read it in the New York Times and the Washington Post, various other "al-Qaeda" luminaries - including Zacarias Moussaoui, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Abdullah Azzam, and Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman - fought in Afghanistan and Bosnia at the behest of the CIA.

Jamal al-Badawi, obviously a useful patsy, "escaped" from a Yemeni prison for good reason and no doubt we will be hearing from him soon, as engineered Islamic terrorism is a necessity for the Straussian neocons.

Of course, we have nothing to fear from the likes of al-Badawi, a fanatical dim bulb patsy (as are all "al-Qaeda" operatives more or less dim bulb patsies and nut cases), but even so, the Straussian neocons need to perpetuate the scam of Islamic terrorism and al-Badawi fits the bill, at least until he is once again captured (this is his second "escape") or killed, thus sending the message our government is diligent in its attempt to stem the tide of engineered terrorism.

"It's hardball all the way," a senior GOP congressional aide said.

The sources said the administration has been alarmed over the damage that could result from the Senate hearings, which began on Monday, Feb. 6. They said the defection of even a handful of Republican committee members could result in a determination that the president violated the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Such a determination could lead to impeachment proceedings.

Over the last few weeks, Mr. Rove has been calling in virtually every Republican on the Senate committee as well as the leadership in Congress. The sources said Mr. Rove's message has been that a vote against Mr. Bush would destroy GOP prospects in congressional elections.

"He's [Rove] lining them up one by one," another congressional source said.

Mr. Rove is leading the White House campaign to help the GOP in November’s congressional elections. The sources said the White House has offered to help loyalists with money and free publicity, such as appearances and photo-ops with the president.

Those deemed disloyal to Mr. Rove would appear on his blacklist. The sources said dozens of GOP members in the House and Senate are on that list.

So far, only a handful of GOP senators have questioned Mr. Rove's tactics.

Some have raised doubts about Mr. Rove's strategy of painting the Democrats, who have opposed unwarranted surveillance, as being dismissive of the threat posed by al Qaeda terrorists.

"Well, I didn't like what Mr. Rove said, because it frames terrorism and the issue of terrorism and everything that goes with it, whether it's the renewal of the Patriot Act or the NSA wiretapping, in a political context," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, Nebraska Republican.

GOP leaders also named California Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon as chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee. Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, vacated that post after winning a campaign to replace DeLay.

McKeon is a seven-term conservative who has a generally good relationship with educators. He authored a 2001 law to remove disincentives for workers who would have lost part of their Social Security benefits when switching jobs to become public school teachers.

DeLay was able to rejoin the powerful Appropriations panel _ he was a member until becoming majority leader in 2003 _ because of a vacancy created after the resignation of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif. Cunningham pleaded guilty in November to charges relating to accepting $2.4 million in bribes for government business and other favors.