We have considered your offer and present this counter-proposal.
Al Qaeda threatens to bring U.S. “to [its] knees”.
Yeah. As if.
If George Bush is half the man Ronaldus Magnus (may he rest in peace) was, here is the approximate response that he would announce tomorrow at 0800:
My fellow Americans, Al Qaeda continues to present a threat to our very existence. Just yesterday, they announced, through their proxies, their intent to attack our homeland. Although we have no concrete evidence that this threat is legitimate, we do have to take all such claims seriously. To that end, I presented specific orders to the military last night. This message is intended for Al Qaeda, and all the nations and organizations that support them and their cause. I have instructed the Joint Chiefs of Staff to prepare multi-service retaliatory strikes against several key cities in the countries known to be supporting or harboring Al Qaeda. Without divulging any operational details, I will state that the casualty estimates given to me this morning are horrific - with an estimated 250 million dead within 72 hours of the conclusion of operations.
I say to all terrorists: do not risk the annihilation of your people. Leave the United States alone, or dire consequences will fall upon you.
Not that I have any hope of it actually happening, but, you never know.
(h/t Instapundit)