MSNBC: Powell may let Taliban remain in power if they hand over Osama bin Laden

9-26-2001 | MSNBC cable network banner

[Brian_Baldwin]

MSNBC just ran the notice on their rolling banner headlines, "Powell may let Taliban remain in power if they turn over Osama bin Laden".

I suppose we will hear a lot about how Powell only said "may" and not "will". Fine. Doesn't matter, because even if he said "may", well, then this "may" not be a war on terrorism.

The Bush Administration has said many things regarding this war on terrorism, things about accountability for those who harbor terrorists, but the same Bush Administration through Powell has said that the war on terrorism will be conducted in the same way as the war on drugs.

Speaking of the war on drugs, one of the Taliban's primary sources of hard currency funding comes from Afghan poppy production and distribution of heroin.

So much said for the war on drugs which hasn't been very effective against the Afghan heroin trafficking which has been funding the Taliban. And if we are going to fight the war on terrorism in the same way we are fighting the war on drugs, we've already lost the war. If MSNBC sources are correct in what Powell is saying, he is saying all the wrong things and giving the wrong signals to the Taliban and the Islamic terrorists throughout the world -- and if Powell is going to let the heroin dealing Taliban remain in power simply because they turn over the bearded dead body of Osama bin Laden, then we've lost the war against those who did this to our people, and we've certainly lost the war on terrorism. By the way, I didn't know that heroin trafficking was part of the Taliban Muslim religion. Have any of those Islamic clerics in Indonesia made any comment on this?

[Loopy]

Listen to yourself. Do you hear what you are saying? And does it actually make logical sense to you?

It is in MSNBC's leftist interest to try to get the American people comfortable with the idea that we have "given up."

Why on earth would this be in the "leftist's" interests. The media loves a war better than anyone. They salivated over Kosovo, Desert Storm etc. Their "interest" is to have as big and bloody a war as possible. The American people may get the idea that we have given up if they simply were able to remember the President's statements and then had the capacity to compare them to the actions being taken. They are not the same. If you are paying attention, that is obvious.

One more terrorist attack on our soil, especially if it is nuclear, biological, or chemical, and America will be in mad dog mode again.

Wow, you said a mouthful there. So...we aren't in "mad dog" mode anymore. Then I was right when I said that the administration was doing nothing until this blows over. When this first happend, how many people said they'd be happy with just Bin Laden and his footsoldier's head? Hmmm..NONE!!!

Also, I suppose that 7,000 civilians and New York reduced to rubble is not enough for you to consider that we ought be in permanent "Mad Dog" mode.

RedNeck, you've fallen into the spin trap. The american people have been spun right out of demanding action that we all know needs to be done.

[1 FELLOW FREEPER]

We need to get going with this war. The peasants are beginning to yawn.

[ClancyJ]

We are looking for a way out of this thing besides war.

Then why did Bush one week ago say that he will not tire, he will not be distracted, we will win. IMHO Bush will look at peaceful ways out of this first to prevent the loss of innocent lives. If there is no way other than striking - he will strike. However, if he can get the Northern Alliance to take over the country without our troops - why not? That would get the terrorists running which is what he wants - smoking them out.

There is no need to risk military lives unless that is this only way. There is no need to risk the lives of innocent Afganitanians either unless that is the only way. He is patient but don't you worry - we will win.

[kjam22]

The bottom line? Bush is NOT encoraging a weak stance at all, he and his team are not in a position to prevent information leaks in the Media, so they are USING the Media to insure that no one can ever trust the information that they spew. In war, information is power. Disinformation is MORE power. No one in this administration is silly enough to think that the Media is on our side.

Would be a nice strategy..... yet we see those that harbour terrorists on television every day making demands. We see pictures of those that hate us and harbor terriorists burning an American Embassy.

[HiTech RedNeck]

"RedNeck, you've fallen into the spin trap. The american people have been spun right out of demanding action that we all know needs to be done."

Once more. SHOW me Powell's FULL statement and the context in which it was made. This wordbite reported by MSNBC is WAY too ludicrous on its face to be believed as a stand-alone statement; we KNOW the Taliban is harboring more terrorists than just bin Laden.

[Loopy]

You aren't listening!!!! Ari Fleischer said yesterday that we are not going to explicitly seek to "topple" the Taliban. Rumsfeld said the same thing yesterday. Do a FR search for Rumsfeld and you will see it. Powell now says it as well. That's everyone. If Taliban falls, no one in the administration is going to cry about it. But as far as the US is concerned, this "government" that harbored terrorists is going to get a pass as long as they can defeat the domestic opposition. Period. Don't take my word for it. Look it up.

[kjam22]

And we know where the Taliban is.... so what exactly is the hold up?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Also, I suppose that 7,000 civilians and New York reduced to rubble is not enough for you to consider that we ought be in permanent "Mad Dog" mode.

The Dog is busy getting back into shape after years of being fat and lazy. A second kick in the rump, however, would have a wonderful way of accelerating the process. The terrorists know this too. That's why they are laying low. "You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off the ole Lone Ranger and you don't mess around with ..."

[Paradox]

This sounds like "good cop, bad cop" to me. The administration is attempting to get something from this. I seriously doubt that Powell says anything he is not authorized to.

[kjam22]

You are right on the money. It is an interesting turn around for an administration that once said "Those that harbor terrorists will suffer the same fate as the terrorists"

[Loopy]

Re your 63: Because OUR people were killed and its up to US to do justice, NOT some measly ethnic minority sub-client. Have you forgotten the ULTIMATUM that he gave the Taliban. Apparently you have. You don't give an ultimatum, unless YOU are willing to do something.

IMHO Bush will look at peaceful ways out of this first to prevent the loss of innocent lives.

I sometimes wonder if administration employees frequent FR in order to try out ideas on the conservative base and get reactions. Peaceful, I though he first said this was an act of WAR, then he soft pedalled it. My g_d, did we seek peaceful ways of dealing with the Japanese? He also said on his Congressional Speach that Taliban AND Bin Laden were responsible. Now he's giving Taliban a pass and that's ok with you?

[kjam22]

We need to take them out. Hoping an internal war brings down the Taliban is weakness. It does matter how the Taliban goes down.

[HiTech RedNeck]

If that's the extent, I say misdirection; a semi-truth. Even if they give up bin Laden, that will not be the end of the story, and we all know it. But know what? They won't give up bin Laden. Their hiney is grass, and Britain and the USA are a pair of lawnmowers.

[Loopy]

One day after this attack, you could have gone to the American people and told them that we'd lose 100,000 dead troops fighting the Taliban and getting Bin Laden. That we'd have to suffer $5.00 a gallon gas prices. That there would be food rationing and censorship of letters home from military personnel. The "Lazy Dog" would have gone along with it in a second. Americans are willing to sacrifice to do what is right. But that did not happen. Day by day we are being conditioned to expect less and less, just as I predicted. Now we get to the point where we say "If you do that one more time I'm gonna really get mad". That's pathetic. One of the first things I learned about negotiating anything is that you NEVER say "that's it" unless that's it. We said it and it wasn't now we can certainly expect more stupid deaths of americans.

BTW, the terrorists aren't laying low at all. Osama's been putting out statement after statement. The fact is that if you review his past acts there is roughly a year in between each. Obviously that is his time lag from planning to execution. So I wouldn't necessarily expect much from him until August - October of 2002.

[pgkdan]

Powell may let Taliban remain in power if they turn over Osama bin Laden".

Who the hell is Powell to let the Taliban do anything?!?!? I thought George W Bush was President...has there been a coup?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Hoping an internal war brings down the Taliban is weakness

Why did I hear no kvetching when Bush said "we will turn them against each other." In the ORIGINAL speech.

Why, even God does that sometimes.

I can easily see a parallel to Bush's recount fight. One, two, three, four "fruitless attempts"... then BOOM everything falls into place and the victory is in like Flynn.

Good grief, this is AFGHANISTAN. Not the old Soviet Union!

[nancetc]

Personally I'm have a distaste for Powell when it comes to this nation be strong. He pulled this let's not touch them approach before Gulf War. He needs to shut the heck up and only say what the President scripts for him.

[kjam22]

August 2004.... Democratic commercial ... Play Bush telling the nation that "those who harbor terrorists will suffer the same fate as those that commit terror". Repeat it with an overlay of the taliban going about business as usual.

He's at 86% right now because a lot of people like you think he ment what he said.

[Terry Mross]

That's all we need. The Taliban gives up Bin Laden and every day there's a hostage taken until we release him. Nobody on this earth will be safe if we have Bin Laden locked up somewhere.