For the past two springs (2006 and implied again in 2007), the Taliban has warned that it will be the ‘Summer of the Suicide Bomber,’ yet thus far the Taliban’s threats have failed to produce even a small fraction of the near 2,000 bombers the group claims it has. Of course that number varies on both the year and which supposed Taliban spokesman is on a given reporter’s speed dial.

In attempt to validate their comments this year, the group sent a suicide bomber to Bagram air base in Afghanistan, where American Vice President Dick Cheney was and the Taliban now claim it was an attempt to murder Cheney.

“We knew that Dick Cheney would be staying inside the base,” [suppsed Taliban spokesman] Ahmadi told AP telephone from an undisclosed location. “The attacker was trying to reach Cheney.”

Another purported Taliban spokesman, Mullah Hayat Khan, also claims the same to Reuters. Bullsh%@! The timeline of events cancel out the Taliban spin on events that has worked to suit their own ends. It was known Cheney was in Pakistan yesterday and that today he was going to Kabul to talk to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, but that’s it. No one knew where he was before the talks, except the Taliban? I’m not buying it.

The entire Bagram stay was completely unexpected, “after bad weather forced postponement of his trip to the Afghan capital.” Does the Taliban now control the weather? Allah’s will and all. Heh.

A short time after the suicide bomber struck the entrance to Bagram, a very rare occurence mind you, news wires started trickling the story out reporting Cheney was at the base. Then the wires ran stories that indicated Cheney wasn’t hurt, followed by some Taliban spokesman available at a local pay phone indicating they targeted Cheney. Prediction: the spokesman wouldn’t have had a clue if Cheney was at the base if the media rep who called him hadn’t of asked him a leading question.

What this attack does is to pander to the Taliban and their minions. It will be reported, without question, within the Arab media that this was an attack on Cheney while that’s just ridiculous. If the Taliban even knew Cheney was in Afghanistan, this attack was only to throw a pebble at the window and say ‘hey, look at me,’ not to actually kill the supposed target. It was a media attack, and thus far it was a media victory.

Captain Ed notes the attack may very well “allow President Bush to launch an attack on the camps even though they are in Pakistani territory.” I suppose if Bush is looking for a reason, this incident could be the actual trumped up evidence leading to a war. There’s no way the suicide bomber would have ever gotten to Cheney and it was purely to drive the press in a tizzy, and it worked.

And speaking of Allah, a different one mind you, Allah posts that the Taliban or Al Qaida might have someone on the inside at Bagram. I suppose that’s certainly a possibility, and DEBKA is quick to report this as a fact (it’s DEBKA people), but if that’s the case why didn’t the man on the inside kill Cheney himself? He would have had better access to the V.P. than some suicide bomber striking at the base’s gate. Allahpundit also notes it would have taken a few days to plan the attack, a few day they didn’t have.

Meanwhile on the Liberbal blog Huffington Post, commenters are depressed Cheney was not hit reports Dean Barnett. It’s certainly not the first time commenters at the HuffPo have wished Cheney would die, but don’t you dare question their patriotism or blood-lust.

Right Truth linked with Going after the head of the snake...