you say july surprise, I say predictable ploy

It's looking more and more like they're gonna catch Osama two days before the election. From Howard Kurtz's media notes blog:

Earlier this month, the New Republic reported that the Bush administration was putting pressure on Pakistan to arrest some major-league terrorists before the November election.

In fact, the magazine quoted one unidentified Pakistani intelligence official as saying that a White House aide told the head of the spy agency last spring that "it would be best if the arrest or killing of [any] HVT [High-Value Target] were announced on twenty-six, twenty-seven, or twenty-eight July." Those just happened to be the first three days of the Democratic convention.

Um, guess what?

The AP has reported Thursday afternoon that "Pakistan has arrested a Tanzanian al Qaeda suspect wanted by the United States in the 1998 bombings at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the interior minister said Friday. He said the suspect was cooperating and had given authorities 'very valuable' information."

And, of course, the kicker's that they captured him Sunday and held it until Thursday. Draw your own conclusions.

Hey, when were those gas prices meant to go down again?

worm "Ukelele Lady," Betty Pooka

namecheck Michaelangelo "Sonic" Matos