Posted on 10/30/2004 5:49:10 AM PDT by xzins
Osama bin Laden fearfully stuck his head out of hiding with the release of a new tape. Is this tape important to the presidential campaign?
1. Kerry's positions will pretty much remain a "no policy litany of complaints”: "Why wasn't he captured?" and "Why did we not totally focus on bin Laden instead of diverting to Iraq?"
2. First, Tommie Franks says their intel showed that OBL was not necessarily in Tora Bora.
3. Second, Franks, et al, say that the "war lords" who were attacking Tora Bora caves already had American Special Forces imbeds within their units....so we were involved...far more than Kerry even realizes or would admit.
4. Capturing an American terrorist inside America, in a very confined region in North Caroline, took 5 years. And in North Carolina we speak the same language, have the population on our side, and have the police constantly in support of us,
February 22, 1998 TV Viewers Might Help Capture N.C. Man The Associated Press MURPHY, N.C. -- The main suspect in Alabama's fatal abortion clinic bombing could have fled this mountainous region where investigators have focused their search, federal agents say. "America's Most Wanted" was asked to air a segment Saturday on Eric Robert Rudolph to enlist millions of viewers in the manhunt.May 31, 2003 Eric Rudolph Captured By Henry Schuster / CNN.com Eric Robert Rudolph -- the man charged with the 1996 Olympics bombing, as well as the bombings of a "gay" nightclub and two women's clinics that performed abortions has been captured, an FBI source told CNN. Two people were killed and many were injured in the attacks. A sheriff's deputy in Murphy, North Carolina, arrested a man believed to be Rudolph early Saturday morning without a struggle after he was found behind a business, Cherokee County Sheriff Keith Lovin told CNN.
5. Given the difficulty of finding a terrorist in a land where: (1) we don't speak the languages, (2) the population is just now beginning an adaptation to democracy, (3) there is a Muslim religious custom requiring the protection any Islamic who appeals for sanctuary, (4) there is a new government, new police, and new military, and (5) the most mountainous, rugged area on the face of the earth (far more than Murphy, NC).....
Given all the above, the proper strategy is to remove Governments friendly to Al Qaeda, the larger organization. If we deny them locations to live, plan, train for combat, and organize their resources and opportunities, then we will deal a lethal blow to the organization. This is President Bush’s strategy, and it makes sense.
6. An appropriate force should be directed to continue searching for bin Laden. This has been done with the most elite American special operations forces in the world. Eventually, the head of the snake will appear and be cut off.
7. Finally, removing Saddam, who worked regularly with major terrorist groups, to INCLUDE Al Qaida, was not a diversion from bin Laden but was the proper step for President Bush to take. See below an excerpt from CNN in February 2001, 8 months BEFORE 9/11 and only 20 days after George Bush took office:
Anti-U.S., anti-Israeli groups meet in Beirut, U.S. says (http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/02/12/terror.meeting/)February 12, 2001
Web posted at: 5:23 p.m. EST (2223 GMT)
From CNN State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. officials are eyeing the January meeting of several anti-Israeli and anti-American militant groups in Beirut, U.S. sources told CNN.
A number of groups that U.S. officials consider the most dangerous were represented at the Beirut conference, including Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida organization; Hamas; Hezbollah; and the Islamic Jihad, U.S. officials said.
....All of the groups have claimed responsibility in the past for attacks on American and Israeli targets.
....Another reason for concern, officials say, was the presence of representatives from Iran and Iraq.
This nation fought two fronts in WWII -- Japan and Germany -- and it was not considered a diversion...nor an impossibility. Additionally, our military is SUPPOSED to be able to fight TWO SIMULTANEOUS WARS while controlling other local conflicts. This was the way the military was designed when the inappropriate drawdown from 18 divisions to 10 divisions took place under President Clinton. It was well within the capabilities of our military to simultaneously pursue their overwhelmingly victorious Iraq campaign and continue the mop up operation in Afghanistan.
In sum, the U.S. must continue to deny any safe sanctuary to Al Qaeda and their frightened, hiding leader, bin Laden. Destroy Al Qaeda and the capture of bin Laden is just a matter of time.
To do this, we must maintain President George Bush in office. While Kerry carps at the President's decisiveness and registers a complaint a minute as his "plan," the President continues forward with a well-conceived, well-based strategy that will enhance the security of our nation.
Don't be deceived. George Bush is the one who has succeeded at all of this. He must be returned for four more years.
Whether Binny's alive or dead, it's in the best interests of security to keep him alive, because otherwise the Kerry-ites will declare the entire world war won, call for a massive retreat, and invite more attacks
I've always really liked your idea here, C184.
With bin Laden as an excuse, we can pretty well go any place at any time to do any thing against any group of terrorists.
All we have to say is: "bin Laden sighting."
ping
I'm hoping that our web of intel agents & networks spread far & wide have been able to zero in on OBL after this latest tape. I'd love to see GWB put OBL's head on a platter before December.
I agree about the tape and voice. The voice especially was seriously camouflaged. I've yet to see the tape, but if it's another grainy reject with the quality of a 1920's film, then someone needs to question bin Laden's bank account. I can get a video cam with excellent quality at Wal-Mart in the neighborhood of 2 hundred bucks.
Rudolph never had the forces hunting for him that are hunting for bin Laden.
I beg to differ....in the initial year he had every law enforcement agency, and the FBI combine in a yard by yard sweep of the entire mountain region.
In our own nation. Our own language. Our own police.
Muslim
Despite being on the run, OBL seemed well rested and tanned. His "studio" wasn't a backdrop of rocks, but rather something at least from a civilised area. Jeesh! I bet he's living in West Palm Beach somewhere.
If he's in West Palm, then maybe that's why the hurricane's came whipping through...:>)
He's a loser. Eventually, he's a goner.
I agree.
There's something not quite right in through the nose area, this is probably one of his doubles.
But it doesn't matter in the scheme of things, as long as his followers believe it to be him. He's a symbolic figure at this point.
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