Six months that changed a year

Introducing an absolute atrocity special by Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris

9/11: The planes strike - as Martin Amis memorably describes them - 'sleeking in like harsh metal ducklings'.

Tony Blair publicly drains every drop of blood from his wife to help the injured of New York.

Taking his time, George W. Bush formulates a measured response - which turns out to be the most expensive bollocking ever unleashed against shepherds.

But are we starting to forget?

Figures show that even as the second tower fell, people were switching off their televisions, complaining they'd seen it all before.

Today in these pages, we help you make up your own mind about the absolute necessity of fighting the ongoing war that is Operation Improving Bloodbath.

Inside: Highlights of our award-winning coverage:

Polly Toynbee: My 14 months undercover in an al-Qaeda training camp

Peregrine Worsthorne: How I parachuted with the Marines into Kabul and found a bearded Polly Toynbee shouting anti-American obscenities

Robert Fisk: How I smashed my own face in shouting 'Don't help me, I deserve this' in front of thousands of bewildered refugees

Christopher Hitchens: How to drink Kabul dry in 72 hours and still keep your forelock fetchingly draped over your forehead

Decca Aitkenhead: How I got spazzed off my baps on Afghan Spangles to the sounds of DJ Smack Poppy's bangin' US Barrage

Arthur Smith: How I missed the plane

Piers Morgan: How I became the new Hugh Cudlipp by digging up James Cameron and Malcolm Muggeridge and sitting their corpses behind desks at the Mirror

Julie Burchill: How I liberated Kandahar with the news that Tony Parsons is a bastard

Also...

The resurgence of Kenneth Branagh since 11 September: pure coincidence?


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Six months that changed a year

This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday March 17 2002 . It was last updated at 16.27 on March 18 2002.

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