Retired U.S. General Attacks Kerry Over Bin Laden

reuters/newsmax ^ | 10-20-04 | will dunham

[2thfxr]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan on Tuesday disputed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's charge that the Bush administration let Osama bin Laden escape Afghanistan in 2001.

"I was responsible for the operation at Tora Bora, and I can tell you that the senator's understanding of events doesn't square with reality," retired Army Gen. Tommy Franks wrote in a commentary published by The New York Times.

The Kerry campaign took issue with the retired general's comments. "Franks is a patriot. But in his attempt to campaign for President (George W.) Bush, he's letting political spin get in the way of the facts," said campaign spokeswoman Brooke Anderson.

Franks, who has endorsed the Republican president's re-election bid, challenged Kerry's contention that U.S. forces had the fugitive al Qaeda leader surrounded but "outsourced" the job of capturing him to Afghan forces in the rugged Tora Bora region of eastern Afghanistan.

The Massachusetts senator has repeatedly charged that Bush was so preoccupied with Iraq -- long before the U.S.-led invasion of that country in March 2003 -- that he took emphasis away from capturing bin Laden, blamed for the September 2001 attacks on America.

U.S.-led forces, which ousted Afghanistan's fundamentalist Taliban rulers, waged a fierce battle in December 2001 in mountainous Tora Bora, known for its extensive cave complex. It is believed bin Laden slipped out of the region around this time, possibly fleeing into Pakistan.

'NEVER WITHIN OUR GASP'

"We don't know to this day whether Mr. bin Laden was at Tora Bora in December 2001. Some intelligence sources said he was; others indicated he was in Pakistan at the time; still others suggested he was in Kashmir," wrote Franks, who led the invasions of Afghanistan and later Iraq as chief of the U.S. military's Central Command.

"Tora Bora was teeming with Taliban and Qaeda operatives, many of whom were killed or captured, but Mr. bin Laden was never within our gasp."

Franks contended that the American military did not outsource military action, although "we did rely heavily on Afghans because they knew Tora Bora."

The Kerry campaign noted Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration officials said publicly at the time of the Tora Bora operation that bin Laden was believed to be there.

The Washington Post, quoting unidentified U.S. officials, reported in April 2002 the Bush administration had concluded bin Laden was present during the Tora Bora battle but managed to escape, and that failure to commit U.S. ground troops to find him was its biggest mistake in the fight with al Qaeda.

Franks relied on local Afghan militias on the ground instead of using American troops, while U.S. aircraft pounded targets from the sky. U.S. officials have said these militia fighters failed to fulfill promises to seal off the area.

The Kerry campaign also noted that Sen. Bob Graham, a Florida Democrat, wrote in a book that Franks told him in February 2002 -- 13 months before the Iraq war -- the Pentagon had begun shifting manpower and resources from Afghanistan in preparation for military operations in Iraq. Graham is a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

[2thfxr]

This needs more airing

[mattdono]

Been getting plenty of airing here...

[finallyatexan]

So now the Kerry people know more about what went on in Tora Bora than General Franks who was actually overseeing the event.
These people are beyond pathetic!

[2thfxr]

Sorry. Didn't see it, although I did look.

A second posting is not a bad thing for this.

[bubman]

"Attacks" Kerry?

No just refuting stupidity espowsed by the Kerry camp. God forbid poodleboy gets a dressing down by the very man who was instructed to take down the Taliban in Afghanistan. MSM sure comes out swinging everytime someone refutes an arguement by Kerry.

[hobbes1]

Notice the headline. Not "General Tommy Franks" ...jsut Retired General.


the AP sucks.

[hobbes1]

reuters rooter too.

[talleyman]

B^ump!

[carl in alaska]

No question about it, AP writers are propagandists for the DemocRAT party. I changed my home page to FR just to avoid AP's "top news" stories.

[7thOF7th]

My thoughts exactly!

[erik22lax]

demonrats think they know everything, even when they were not there. somehow they always get it right and the rest of us are just stuipid little pawns.

[mattdono]

Agreed. In fact, please see the attached project that I have undertaken.

---

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[jmstein7]

BUMP!

[elli1]

Notice the headline. Not "General Tommy Franks" ...jsut Retired General.

And they used a negative loaded term w/ the word ''Attacks''. I thought General Franks' article was a reasonably calm, point-by-point rebutal of Kerry's remarks. Struck me as a ''defense'' as opposed to an ''attack''.

[caisson71]

So let me get this straight, the Kerry camp says that the General is "spinning" for Bush, yet General Franks was actually there. But, Kerry, who was nowhere in sight of Tora Bora - he served his 4 months in VietNam, you know - really has all the facts??? And this guy wants to be our next Commander-In-Chief?

[Edgerunner]

yeah that's the story alrighty...