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The flood of conflicting “official” stories detailing the death of Osama bin Laden has become almost farcical. But perhaps we’re not being told what DID happen in Abbottabad because no one at the White House wishes to admit what was SUPPOSED to happen. That is, divulge the real objective.

The Navy SEALs knew their mission was to kill the al Qaeda leader, not take him aliveIn the weeks before President Obama ordered Navy SEALs into Pakistan in pursuit of Osama bin Laden, administration officials weighed using American warplanes to obliterate the terror mastermind's fortified compound from the sky or sending commandos on a high-risk mission to assault the structure from the ground. But there's one option the administration appears to have never seriously considered: taking bin Laden alive. In an important new detail about Sunday's raid, the White House disclosed on Tuesday that bin Laden was unarmed when the...

Barack Obama kept military commanders hanging by declaring he would 'sleep on it' before taking 16 hours to give the go-ahead to raid Bin Laden's compound. Hit squads of specialist Navy Seals - who were not even told who they were preparing to capture - had practised the mission at two reconstructions of the terror chiefs sprawling compound. The mission looked set to be given the all clear last Thursday when analysts confirmed beyond doubt that Bin Laden was in busy town of Abbottabad in northern Pakistan.

According to another one of those White House briefings of reporters designed to suck up all available credit for good news, President Obama's homeland security advisor reveals that it was a really tense time in the air-conditioned White House as unidentified U.S. Navy SEALs closed in on the world's most wanted man after midnight a half a world away. "Minutes passed like days," says John Brennan, who bravely stood with press secretary Jay Carney before reporters and TV cameras today chronicling his boss' weekend heroics. The heavily-armed commandos flying in a quartet of darkened Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters more than...

I'm dying to know, which Freeper had the best crystal ball?

KABUL, Afghanistan (Jan. 25, 2011) — Coalition forces detained a Haqqani Network facilitator at an Afghan Border Patrol checkpoint in Paktika province yesterday. The now detained Haqqani Network facilitator operated in Orgun area, Wardak province. He was responsible for the movement of supplies, improvised explosive devices and vehicle-borne IEDs. He was in direct contact with other Haqqani Network leaders in the area. Security forces set up at the Afghan Border Patrol checkpoint in the district where the Haqqani Network facilitator traveled frequently according to recent reporting. The Haqqani Network insurgent was detained based on initial questioning at the scene.

Question for FReepers: Is it possible AND how to do it -- Logically connect and have Windows recognize a Camcorder (that has an HDMI port) connected to a PC that has an HDMI port, running Windows 7 -- and then capture video form the Camcorder onto the PC? Obviously the physical connection is simple. Can I use the HDMI cable and ports to perform video capture, or only video 'play'? I am logged in, my sister and the moose are in the shower eating cheese, and this is quite hugh and series because this new PC (much to my surprise)...

Speaking of changing the rules... Gold and silver are now down hard over the past two days, and the reason may have something to do with the fact that the CFTC utterly caved to JPM in their long-awaited decision on position limits in a 4-1 vote. While position limits will eventually be set, maybe, someday, the course of action taken by the CFTC grandfathers in JPM's (and HSBC, et al.) current outlandish positions. Here's the background (emphasis mine): On July 21, 2010, the Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Among other things, the Dodd-Frank Act...

WASHINGTON - The Energy Department said Tuesday it was awarding $575 million for carbon capture research-and-development projects in 15 states. The experimental technique involves storing carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants and other sources underground, in an attempt to reduce pollution blamed for contributing to global warming. "This is a major step forward in the fight to reduce carbon emissions from industrial plants," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "These new technologies will not only help fight climate change, they will create jobs now and help position the United States to lead the world in clean coal technologies, which will only...

REAT FALLS, Mont. – A pig wrestling competition at a county fair in northern Montana has been canceled after the porkers eluded fair officials trying to round them up for the event. Fair office manager Shirley Embleton says the wild pigs spend the year on a 10-mile free-range property along the Marias River and about 30 are captured the Friday of the scheduled event. But this year, fair officials were only able to locate one boar, despite flying the river. ..

A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today found that carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) schemes favored by Democrats under their proposed cap and trade national energy tax boondoggle would increase electricity costs, reduce electricity output and increase water consumption. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking Republican of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), released the GAO today covering the status, cost, and reliability of current CCS technology for coal-fired power plants. The release states, “Based on GAO's survey of stakeholders, including utilities and state regulators, current CCS technology would increase electricity costs...

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2010, June 29, 2010 – An Afghan and international force detained a number of suspected insurgents including a Taliban facilitator in Afghanistan’s Helmand province last night, military officials reported. The facilitator, believed to be a key player in the facilitation network in the province’s Now Zad district, allegedly is responsible for procuring and distributing bomb-making components. After clearing several buildings in the village of Do Sang, in the Now Zad district, the combined security force detained the facilitator and several suspected associates. A separate Afghan and international force detained a suspected insurgent in Kandahar province while pursuing...

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2010 – Iraqi security forces arrested four terrorism suspects today during three combined operations conducted with U.S. advisors. In northwestern Baghdad, Iraqi forces arrested a suspected criminal associate during an operation seeking a Promised Day Brigade terrorist group leader who allegedly is involved in sniper, indirect-fire and roadside-bomb attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces. Meanwhile, in western Baghdad, Iraqi forces arrested three suspected criminal associates while seeking an al-Qaida in Iraq leader who allegedly is involved in high-profile vehicle-bomb attacks and has ties to senior leadership of the terror organization. A combined operation in western Mosul targeting...

May 22, 2010 Republicans Capture House Seat in Obama's Hometown Honolulu -- Republicans scored a midterm election victory Saturday when Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou won a Democratic-held House seat in Hawaii in the district where President Obama grew up -- the latest triumph for the GOP as it looks to take back control of Congress. Djou's victory was a blow to Obama and other Democrats who could not rally around a candidate and find away to win a congressional race that should have been a cakewalk. The seat had been held by a Democrat for nearly 20 years and...

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2010 – Iraqi security forces arrested eight suspected terrorists in recent combined operations in Iraq with U.S. advisors, military officials reported. South of Tikrit today, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searching for a suspected senior al-Qaida in Iraq leader who’s allegedly involved in planning and executing high-profile attacks arrested three suspected criminal associates of the wanted man. In Mosul yesterday, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors searching for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader allegedly involved in distributing funds to other members of the terror organization in the city arrested one his suspected associates. Also yesterday, Iraqi...

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2010 – Afghan and international forces detained several insurgents and seized illegal drugs and weapons in recent operations in Afghanistan, military officials reported. An Afghan-international security force pursuing a Taliban commander in Kandahar province detained two militants in the Zharay district last night. The combined force went to a series of compounds after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity, and two men ran away as the force approached. The two men were captured after a lengthy chase. They told the patrol they were Pakistani fighters, and that they had rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles hidden at another location....

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2010 – Afghan and international forces captured two Taliban commanders and seized weapons and drugs in recent operations, military officials reported. An Afghan-international security force captured a senior Taliban commander and another insurgent in Baghlan province’s Baghlan-e Jadid district last night. The Taliban commander is responsible for weapons smuggling, distribution, passing intelligence reports and direct attacks on coalition forces, officials said. Several weapons were found in the compound where he was captured. In Kandahar province’s Kandahar district last night, a combined patrol captured a Taliban commander responsible for procuring and planting roadside bombs and leading ambushes of...

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2010 – Iraqi forces arrested 11 terrorism suspects in recent operations conducted with U.S. advisors, military officials reported. South of Baghdad yesterday, Iraqi forces arrested four suspected al-Qaida in Iraq criminal associates during a combined operation in search of a man who allegedly is involved in bomb attacks against Iraqi civilians and Iraqi and coalition forces. In Mosul on May 17, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader and three suspected criminal associates. The suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader is believed to have played a key role in acquiring vehicles and...

BAGHDAD, May 13, 2010 – Iraqi security forces arrested four suspected al-Qaida in Iraq criminal associates during separate combined security operations in central and southern Iraq yesterday, military officials reported. Iraqi forces working with U.S., advisors arrested three suspected criminal associates south of Baghdad while searching for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who allegedly is involved in bombing attacks against civilians and Iraqi and coalition forces. During another operation in Baghdad, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader who allegedly is involved in high-profile vehicle-bomb attacks and has ties to senior the terror...

Through key intelligence sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I have just learned that reclusive Taliban leader and top Osama bin Laden ally, Mullah Omar has been taken into custody....