Will disappear after a few views....sorry, low bandwidth.
Posted on 07/07/2005 12:35:25 PM PDT by churchillbuff
I was lectured on Freerepublic that I was supposed to "feel safer" because we captured Saddam -- even though there's no evidence that he was behind 9-11. Osama is the guy that Bush promised to get "dead or alive" -- but four years later, he's still out there, free as a jail bird.
Maybe it's time to refocus on the mastermind and culprits who were behind 9-11?
Prediction: I'll get flamed as a "DU provacateur" for advocating that we go after somebody who killed 3000-plus people on American soil.
He's dead. And I don't care about all those "messages" and "audio tapes" they say are his. The messages can be released by anyone and the tapes are unbeleivably vague.
A guy with his agenda and ego would still be issuing videos of himself. Thus I believe he is dead.
Regardless, finding him or not has no overwhelming bearing on the complete War on Terror.
Will disappear after a few views....sorry, low bandwidth.
Good points and I think the poster would have generated a lot less heat if he posed the argument the way you did. Personally, I think the state sponsored terrorism of an Iraq or in Iran is more dangerous than the quasi tolerated support for terrorism by elements of the Pakistani government, but reasonable minds can differ on that.
I think the real question though is whether there really is a "choice" between pursuing one set of terrorist leaders or the other. I do not think there is, and I think that is why the whole argument we lost focus is a false one. In fact, I think there is a lot of merit to the argument that the strategies are complementary. As you correctly point out the methods are different and I do not think the resources used in one place are hindering the effort in another. Knock out the state sponsors you can get to, and pin down the leadership in the wilds of the NW frontier. Better that than allowing them the freedom to hop from safe haven to safe haven all over the Middle East.
Just MHO.
It's all Bush's fault.Him and his neocon buddies.
Like I said to the referee last night. "You suck, but you're consistent!"
Of all the moronic postings, this takes the cake.
No one in the administration claimed Hussein was tied to 9/11...just hundreds of thousands of mass murders, bounties to families of homicide bombers in neighboring states (thereby spreading terrorism outside his borders), use of WMD (yes...he used them), harboring known terrorist masterminds, etc. He killed upwards of 750,000 - 1,000,000 people which works out to 80 - 100 people per day for the 25 years he was in power!!!!!
At least some of us are sophisticated enough to understand that the WOT is not a one dimensional war. We don't put blinders on and ignore other risks. If you had your way, in December of 1941 we would have set out to capture or kill Yamamoto and then the war would have been over. The same idiots who claim bush is a moron and lacks the sophistication to understand complex issues and the associated nuances show their complete blindness and lack of perspective on the WOT. Does anyone in their right mind think that the WOT ends when Osama eats the bird?
Second, Bush NEVER promised to get Osama dead or alive. He said he wanted him dead or alive. Huge difference. And if you think we've given up the hunt, go talk to the families of the 18 dead special forces/air lift soldiers from last week.
Go get an education before posting inane comments.
I know we've had this discussion, and am sure we'll have to agree to disagree.
My feeling is that considering Iraq had advance notice of 9/11, as evidenced by their July 21, 2001 state run article about what was coming to NYC, they did more than just a little gossip with OBL.
As well, although there is no proof, I believe the terrorists were connected with the anthrax attacks and that Iraq is the country that knew how to weaponize it adequately so it was aerolicized (sp?).
Also, Iraq violated the no fly zones for so many years and we received 78 reports from different sources that Hussein's regime was actively training Iraq intelligence soldiers for terrorist attacks against the US and our interests.
The Senate Intelligence Report said that Iraq provided AQ with WMD training. Salmon Pak was obviously a major terrorist training ground. Direct meetings between senior Iraqimilitary officers and top AQ operatives took place for 13 years.
I know that a lot of that could be said for other countries, and I fully understand why we didn't, for example, invade Saudi Arabia or Iran. We're finishing what was started with Iraq and doing the best we can with the other countries.
I'm delighted we took the war to Iraq and that more and more jihadists are joining their brothers there; we can kill them and those are a few hundred less terrorists who will make their way here.
It may be simplistic, but it's how I feel. Strongly.
Then what do you do? Execute him? Further inflaming his lunatic followers? Make him a martyr? Sheesh. We don't want him. Dismantle his jihad, that is, if he is still alive and then let him do what Hitler did. Or, if he's not quite so cooperative we can just throw a few grenades down his bunker and tell the world he committed suicide.
I do not believe out world leaders want "Osama" being paraded on the world stage. I certainly don't.
Back on the idiot juice, eh?
Exactly. He's irrelevent, except for Bush bashers who need something to whine about.
I'll play your silly game. But first I have a question for you. What makes you think he is still alive? When is the last time he was seen, on tape with something that identified the taping as current, perhaps a newspaper. The answer is you have NEVER seen this and you must ask yourself why.
I make the claim he is dead and buried probably under a hundred tons or so of rubble in the mountains of Afghanistan. A lack of a corpse does not mean the lack of a dead body. No interest is served by the savages reporting his death since they need him as a spiritual leader. We of course would never claim he was dead unless we actually had the body since the animals who wear their underwear on their heads would never believe us and of course the America hating, Bush hating, anti military left would not believe it either.
So I have made a case that he's dead, proves he's alive if you can.
What you said. Also, add the fact that Saddam aided Al-Zarqawi, known AQ network leader, in Iraq before we went to war there.
As far as I can tell, no one has heard from Osama Bin Laden since November of 2001.
hey churchillbuff, are u STILL pissed off cuz your sitting on dozens of 'FREE OSAMA' t-shirts out there in san fran that u cant get rid of?
I know where he is too! I saw him at a coffee shop in Berkeley y'day...lol
Good grief. I very rarely flame, but this is the most naive and ignorant rant I've seen from someone who's been around here a long time.
This kind of emotionalism and content is only worthy of the lamest critics of our success in the war.
Thank you.
ASA you want to handle this one?
A handle like that why shouldn't it be assumed you are a DU troll. I highly doubt that is Winston but that it is Ward.
?
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